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Discover the heartbeat of Juneau's cultural and community landscape with 'Capital Chat.' This series explores the vibrant world of the community, arts, and dynamic cultural and social events happening in Alaska's Capital City. Tune in to 'Capital Chat' for your essential guide to the pulse of our community, where every story is an adventure and every voice matters.
Hello, and welcome to Capital Chat. I'm your host this morning, Angel Montgomery. And in the studio, I have James with the Aurora Grand Theater. James, how's it going this morning?
Speaker 2:Great. Thank you.
Speaker 1:I am super excited. You guys have some fun stuff coming up this weekend. But for anyone that's listening right now that has no idea what the Aurora Grand Theater is, can you tell me a little bit more about it?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So the historic building downtown at 222 Front Street, it was the original Gross Theater, the twentieth century theater. Me and my team have taken it over and we are reopening it. It's going to be a long process, but it's the original theater downtown.
Speaker 1:And how community responded, to the new chapter of this?
Speaker 2:Fantastically. I mean, it's been, it's been overwhelming. I've lived here in town for ten years and I feel like I just am a new citizen having met everyone and just getting to know the town has been so amazing. It's been that's been the biggest part for me is meeting all these people.
Speaker 1:I love that. And is your has your vision always been for the Aurora Grand Theater to be more to be a movie theater as well as a like a community gathering space?
Speaker 2:Exactly. Yeah. So it's far more than just a theater. Our our mission is to be a a space to bring people together, community space, a space for teenagers to have their first job, dates, live events, spaces for people to have their first time on stage. So we're really excited to use the space for as many different variable uses.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And I know that you guys have made some improvements and changes, obviously, you haven't been there since it was just the movie theater, what kind of differences have you made in improvements?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So we're focusing all of our energy on what was the old balcony, which is the upstairs theater.
Speaker 1:So fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, in the eighties, it was converted from a larger theater with a balcony to having a screen upstairs. So it's a very steep portion of the theater and we've put in a stage at the bottom and have torn out all the old seats that were notoriously bad. Everyone in town knows how bad they were if they've ever been in there. So they were very small, very cramped, and they're very, like, packed in.
Speaker 2:So we tore all that out and put in a couch style seating. And so yeah. And we just I just got the word this morning that we have, our tables. We have little cocktail tables that we ordered. They've just arrived in town.
Speaker 2:And so now we get to start the process of installing those. And so there'll be like it's a very relaxed, more casual, like, hopefully as comfortable as your living room.
Speaker 1:Yeah. That's so cool. I love that. This weekend, you're showing DieHard as part of the Christmas in July celebration. You're also partnering with Red Bird and Raven for the event.
Speaker 1:So, yes, there will be cookies. Can you tell me a little bit more about that collaboration and what moviegoers, can expect this weekend?
Speaker 2:Yeah. This weekend, we're doing Die Hard. You've you summed it up very well. So we're having Christmas cookies, and we're have Christmas music, we're doing we're decorating the lobby this morning. And so it's just gonna be like a fun fun Christmas event with Die Hard.
Speaker 1:Is there a cost involved?
Speaker 2:To get in? Yes. So it's $15 for the ticket to come in for the movie.
Speaker 1:So fun. I'm a big fan of Die Hard. Do you think it's a Christmas movie?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Me too.
Speaker 1:So after this weekend, you're, you know, settling into regular movie programming. Tell us about the schedule and what are some maybe upcoming films that we can watch out for?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So we have so, you know, it's it's hard to advertise for things I don't have the rights But to, we have, you know, big plans for some big events coming up that we're really, really excited about partnering with different bars downtown and having like larger downtown events. So those are all in the works. But in the short term, we're doing Die Hard and then we're doing Sandlot and then we're doing Life Aquatic. Then we're partnering with Gigi Monroe for Gigi Monroe's And Family then we're doing, Mean Girls.
Speaker 2:And so then we'll just be moving out further and further and doing bigger and bigger events as we
Speaker 1:yeah. I love. And you did you mentioned the Monroe Family Affair coming up in August. Can you give us a little preview of that event? What will that look like?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, we did Glitz last month.
Speaker 1:How did that go?
Speaker 2:It went really well. That's good. It was really great. It's really amazing to see the space, like, come to life, especially after so long of being abandoned and just kind of you know, makes my heart hurt just to, you know, the space not being utilized by the community. It's such an amazing venue.
Speaker 2:And so getting that to be like our big first, like active events was so amazing to see the, like the stage in use and lights. So that'll be we'll have a very similar setup as far as tech goes, but then we're having Gigi's drag mother and Gigi's grand drag grandmother is coming into And so there'll be a bunch of people flying in for this event to do drag. And it'll so be a very, you know, higher end Yeah. Drag
Speaker 1:performance. And, obviously, the Glitz was live theater. And are you do you guys see yourself having a lot of live performances at at the theater?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. Especially as we build out our own capacity for tech. We're already talking with Juno Lyric Opera and other groups to do live performances in the space.
Speaker 1:And you also are encouraging people to become members. What is, what does becoming a member look like and how does that help support you guys?
Speaker 2:So there are different, groups, group memberships, you can do a single or, couples or a family and, you know, how you define your family is up to you. But you can buy tickets for months or for periods of time. And that helps us because we have a more stable income and we can kind of make better predictions for what we can do with our money for the and it provides a discount for the members. There's discount on popcorn and concessions. And so we just, as a way to support us and help us kind of get over this harder period of the reopening, we're encouraging people to become members.
Speaker 2:And as we plan all these events, we plan to have discounts for our members and so it'll be.
Speaker 1:And can I ask, I mean, obviously, you have such passion for this, and I I've seen some of the the videos that have been posted online? Know this took a lot of work to get to where you guys are. What what kind of drove all of that, for you? You know, like, made you think this has to happen and the team that you're with, what was, like, the driving passion that really put it to the put it to work?
Speaker 2:I I feel like there's so many. I feel like destined for this. This is like it's weird when things click like that. I my history before I went to the Maritime Academy was in theater. I did dinner theater for years and just like tech and lights and sets and props.
Speaker 2:And then I love movies and I am very passionate about mystery science theater and like just movie watching. It's just really fun. And I've host movie parties with friends. And so then like, those are all like and then I worked for the ferries for ten years and being a part of Juno, but disconnected from Juno, unable to participate in any like regular programmed activities. I wasn't able to work in theater in Juno because the ferry schedule and working on the boats.
Speaker 2:So being able to like really get my teeth into the community and meet people and like plan out months of things with people and get involved in the community has just been so amazing. And so that's, it really connects all of my passions and finding like a cool place for teenagers to be that's safe. And like my first job was in a movie theater
Speaker 1:so Mine too.
Speaker 2:It's everybody's best first job. So like the idea that I get to hire teenagers that get to have a really fun, cool first job downtown, and creating a safe place for them to hang out and, you know, have fun in a controlled environment. And to work theater tech is such an amazing first job too because you get to learn basic carpentry skills and working with your hands and building things. It's always something new, always something different. Get to paint, get to like sand and cut and screw and hammer, you know, and so it's just a really fun first job.
Speaker 1:That's super exciting. And, obviously, that kinda kinda ties in with this one. What excites you most about, like, the next six months for Aurora Grand? I mean, I'm sure that there's obviously a lot of partnerships that you guys are doing, but what what's getting you excited about the the months to come?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So we do have a few, like, big events. There's some really great movies with, like, really great atmosphere around them. So the idea to get to like partner with people, partner, do downtown things, pirate things might be in the works. There might be some pirate related activities coming And so those are the things that get me really excited, and that's like what I look forward to.
Speaker 2:We also really look forward to like being a bit further along in the completion of the space, and then we can kind of settle into a more steady, like, schedule for movies. Right now, we're only doing movies over the weekends, which gives us the weekdays to work on the space. Mhmm. And I yeah. We look forward to having the upstairs fully open and have it open all the time.
Speaker 1:That's so fun. And tell me, is there if, you know, somebody can't make it this weekend, but is really interested in in coming to one of the shows or maybe collaborations, in the future, where can we follow you on social to make sure we're staying up to date?
Speaker 2:Instagram is where we I was trying to do a TikTok. I don't know about I
Speaker 1:love that for
Speaker 2:you. It's hard. It is. But we have Instagram, Aurora Grand Theater, Facebook, and then we have our website, auroragrandtheater.com.
Speaker 1:Wonderful. And I do wanna just touch one more time. This weekend, they are gonna be showing Die Hard for their Christmas in July celebration partnering with the Red Bird and Raven with tons of cookies. It's gonna be fabulous. I actually met with Jossie yesterday with Red Bird and Raven.
Speaker 1:She brought me in some cookies. I had to, like, try to just keep the bag, like, in my back pocket, because people were trying to attack me for these chocolate chip cookies that were still warm, I I might add. I mean, just amazing. And what time is that happening again this weekend?
Speaker 2:There are a few showings this Yes. So we're partnering for Saturday with her. She's doing a small event for herself with the cookies, and then we're doing two showings of Die Hard.
Speaker 1:Die Hard. I love it. And then if is it $15 for any showing that you're going to this weekend? Yes. Got it.
Speaker 1:Okay. $15. And, again, for anybody that might be listening, hasn't been there, hadn't even been to the old theater, what is the address?
Speaker 2:222 Front Street.
Speaker 1:22 Front Street. And, again, their showings this weekend, but stay up to date with them on socials as well. James, is there anything that we've missed? Anything you wanna highlight before I let you go?
Speaker 2:No. No. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:No problem.
Speaker 2:Been such an amazing experience.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And congrats. I've heard a lot of great things. I can't wait to check it out for myself.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:We got more of everything happening in the capital coming up here on KINY.