The Imperial Theatre hosts the TIFF Film Circuit and I am here today with Lindsay Jacquard, the Sponsorship and Patron Services Coordinator, to talk about the series and other great things that are happening at the theatre. An edited part of the interview is below:
(Mark) So Lindsay, tell my listeners about the theatre’s community spirit and its outreach to connect and engage people.
(Lindsay) Well, the Imperial Theater has been a part of Saint John for about a hundred years now, and the theatre in this iteration under this name has been around for 30 seasons, so we are about as entrenched in Saint John history as we can get, but we have the privilege of not only presenting shows year round, but working with community partners doing outreach with schools, with assisted living homes and with groups in our community. And we get to present amazing art.
(M) So talk a little more about the TIFF series.
(L) Yes, we're now the new home of the TIFF circuit here in Saint John. TIFF, is an international film festival that happens in Toronto every year. But what they also do is work with film distributors to get these movies into smaller communities, into places that may not have these independent films released in their cinemas. And we are the right venue for that. We have the technology. We have the space. And we have the audiences to bring in to see all sorts of films that might not be here otherwise.
(M) I am very impressed by how accessible the theater is for people that might have some physical handicaps.
(L) Yes, especially in the past couple of years, we have really been focusing on how we can make the venue accessible in a multitude of ways, whether that is for folks with mobility needs or other physical accessibility considerations, and also for folks who might have different accessibility needs. People who might need a quieter space; people who might need to take more time when ordering tickets or any number of things. And I think there's a lot of different ways to consider accessibility whether that is physical or price point or language barriers.
(M) What are ways to obtain tickets in addition to doing it through the Imperial website?
(L) I run the box office, and there will always be a whole bunch of friendly faces in The box office is not just about selling tickets. But it's about folks who whether they don't enjoy using the website or they've just run into a problem beyond their control. We're here to be your troubleshooters and we're also here to be helpful to you. We're open Monday to Friday, 12 to 5. But if there's a show going on, sometimes you can sneak in in the evening and find that we're still available too.
(M) So, Lindsay, how can my local listeners become more involved with the Imperial Theatre?
(L) Oh, goodness! I mean, you can always just come. See shows here because we are happy to have faces that we recognize. But if you want to be even more involved, we have a wonderful volunteer core. Our volunteers really make this place run. They are ushers, they are our ticket scanners, and they are the faces that you see when you come to a show in the evening. And if folks want to get involved in that way, there's more information on our website on how to volunteer at our shows and at our events.
(M) When will the kick off be for the 31st season?
(L) We haven't announced the date of our launch yet, but our season launch is always in June, so June of 2024 we will be revealing all of our secrets, and then our first shows of the new season are always starting in September, or October.
Jan 30 – TIFF Film Circuit: Bones of Crows 7:00 PM
Feb 11 – Greater Saint John Chinese NY Gala 2:00 PM
Feb 13 – Retro Film: Legally Blonde 7:00 PM
Mark J Brewer, Host