By CONOR SHEA
Features Editor
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan remembers how convenient the Madison Theatre was when she first lived in the city.
“I moved to Albany in 1989, and I rented an apartment right down there on Madison Avenue in that big yellow house with the white pillars; so that I could walk to the grocery store, get a bagel at Bruegger’s… and walked to this movie theater,” said Sheehan at the Madison Theatre ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday.
Sheehan was just one of many who turned out to see the grand re-opening, which included notable members of the Albany community such as Anne Savage (founding member of “Friends of the Madison” group), Lisa Thomson (vice president of Strategic Communications for The College of Saint Rose), and assembly member Patricia Fahy.
“It’s not just a theater. This is about the reinvestment, revitalization of this neighborhood, and it just has ripple effects throughout the region,” said assembly member Fahy, with an air of pride.
She went on to thank Savage for her work in helping to save Madison Theatre back in 2004, saying, “A number of years ago when this building was ready to be gutted… and we were about to lose this amazing place, it was Anne and a whole host of people who came together… and it survived. ”
The atmosphere was one of excitement and community, as each subsequent speaker expressed his or her gratitude to those who took on the renovation of the theatre. Darren Grout, one of the theatre’s new co-owners, when mentioning the renovation process, said, “I think it was probably two years ago we started thinking about this and to see what it’s turned into is pretty incredible.”
Mayor Sheehan made a poignant comment on the close-knit community of the Albany area, mentioning, “Now I have a 13- year-old son, and when he goes to the movies, he doesn’t want to go to the mall— he doesn’t want to go anywhere but here. This is where he grew up seeing the movies.”
This was reiterated by many who spoke, and it seemed to be the going theme of the renovation.
Other interesting developments were announced during the ceremony, including the fact that approximately 75 full or part- time Tierra Farms workers will be employed after the addition of the Tierra Farms Market next to the theatre.
Additionally, it was mentioned that the renovation process finally brought the existing structure up to code, something that it has not been done for around 15 years.
After the ribbon was cut (constituting Mayor Sheehan’s first official ribbon cutting), guests were invited in for refreshments and appetizers, as well as the first official showings later in the evening—Slapshot and Cool Hand Luke.
Regarding the prospects for attracting Saint Rose students and other such clientele, project manager Damir Svraka was optimistic. “We have a coffee shop, which brings in a ton of college students; we have organic food; and even organic popcorn with real butter,” he shared excitedly.
He went on to add that the appeal of Madison is that it’s not like other large cinemas. “It’s a cheap movie theater to go to with classics like Scarface and The Breakfast Club.”
Tickets will be priced at just $5, which is nearly half that of a standard theater. This, combined with its proximity to Saint Rose, and movies that are hardly shown on big screens elsewhere, should hopefully keep the cinephiles coming.
While the theatre will not be playing any currently running films, anything that has been out of the theater for a while has the possibility of being shown.
A suggestion box for movies that patrons would like to see will be in the lobby for anyone to add to. Anyone looking to learn more about the upcoming films to be played at Madison Theatre- should visit themadisontheater.com.
