By the time the door had shut after the closure of the Big Picture Theater in Waitsfield last fall community members and theater owners were working on a plan to reinvent the community institution. They were successful and The Bigger Picture opens next month on May 1 as a nonprofit with a 12-member board and 501C3 nonprofit status.
The new Bigger Picture Community Fund nonprofit was created by local folks in collaboration with Waitsfield residents Claudia Becker and Eugene Jarecki who purchased the theater and renovated it over two decades ago. Becker first became involved in the theater as the founder and presenter of the Mountaintop Film Festival.
The theater was updated and renovated and in 2004 reopened and served the community seven days a week with three meals a day, films, gatherings, exhibits, celebrations, candidate forums and more. COVID closed the Big Picture and the business faced the same challenges as many did after the pandemic, according to Becker. Those challenges included rising costs and staffing issues among others.
MOVED BY SUPPORT
Becker said that she and Jarecki were particularly moved by the show of community and support at the Big Pic’s closing party last fall and that response helped move them toward this new model, along with the encouragement of community members.
Becker said that it reminded her of the finale of the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life” when the whole town came together to help.
“When we closed, I get teared up when I think about it, the whole community showed up and they wanted to help and be part of this. That really carried our efforts into this initial group. To me, it’s a testament to Vermont and The Valley,” Becker said.
Board member Beth Binns Schoelkopf, one of the founding board members, said this the effort to reinvent the Big Pic was inspired by Dreamland in Nantucket.
“We got some real inspiration from them. We’re so lucky to have this in the center of the Mad River Valley. We have this amazing space that's all set up for community-based activities and restaurants and theater. Why wouldn't we want to make it work. It was a no brainer in that sense,” she noted.
THREE-YEAR LEASE
The new nonprofit has a three-year lease with Becker and Jarecki who are not charging the entity rent. The Bigger Picture is subleasing to the Big Picture Theater and Café, to be managed by former 18-year veteran Kevin McMillion. McMillion will split his time between the restaurant/theater and the new nonprofit, working two-thirds for the Big Pic and one-third for The Bigger Picture.
The reopened space will feature with its two theaters – one dedicated to first-run films, the other hosting educational, cultural programming and community activities. A revitalized cafe and flexible spaces will accommodate everything from workshops to performances, while outdoor areas will host summer events and movies as well as events such as birthday parties for kids and playground activities.
Over the next three years, the nonprofit will be fundraising and selling memberships for operating expenses and ultimately purchasing the space. Alexandra Harvey, who is chair of the new board said that the first fundraising goal of covering one year’s operating expense was already two-thirds complete. Membership rates and sponsorship opportunities will be rolled out shortly.
Details on the board, membership structures and the May 1 opening day celebration will be forthcoming. The new website goes live April 3. It is bigpicturetheater.info
Regarding the May 1 celebration, Schoelkopf said it will be a community celebration with fun and games and music and cookouts and more.
