Mark Snider has preliminary agreement with Hall family to take over Strand in Oak Bluffs and Capawock in Vineyard Haven.
Mark Lovewell

Businessman Aims to Revive Two Historic Movie Theatres

Olivia Hull
[Print options: w comments, w/o]
[Related stories side scroll]
MLA
Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper, Day Month Year, URL.

<p>Mark Snider, owner of the Winnetu Oceanside Resort and the founder of a new nonprofit, is finalizing an agreement with Benjamin Hall Jr. to lease the Capawock and Strand theatres for 10 years, and reopen them beginning this summer.</p>

An Island hotelier has announced ambitious plans to restore two historic Vineyard movie theatres to their former glory.

Mark Snider, owner of the Winnetu Oceanside Resort in Edgartown and the founder of a new nonprofit, is finalizing an agreement with Benjamin Hall Jr. to lease the Capawock and Strand theatres for 10 years, beginning this summer.

Named the Martha’s Vineyard Theatre Foundation, the nonprofit will lease and renovate the theatres while the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society manages day-to-day operations.

Historic Capawock theatre in Vineyard Haven has been shuttered since 2013, but plans are in the works to begin showing movies there againt his summer.
Mark Lovewell
Historic Capawock theatre in Vineyard Haven has been shuttered since 2013, but plans are in the works to begin showing movies there againt his summer.
Mark Lovewell

“My hope is that it’s really the community that embraces this,” Mr. Snider, a lifelong Vineyard moviegoer, said in an interview with the Gazette this week.

Mr. Snider is simultaneously beginning a campaign to raise $1 million to refurbish the two theatres by Memorial Day, when he hopes to reopen them for business. With the funds, Mr. Snider hopes to renovate the buildings and install digital screening equipment at the Strand, which is in Oak Bluffs, and the Capawock in Vineyard Haven.

Once at the cutting edge of cinematic technology (Mr. Hall’s grandfather brought talkies to the Vineyard), the theatres fell victim in recent decades to a decline in movie attendance as well as rising screening costs and a national shift from 35mm film projection to digital projection, Mr. Hall said in an interview this week. He confirmed that an agreement with Mr. Snider is nearly complete. “We are very excited to have such an effective and dedicated leader like Mark Snider to head the team that is going to take over and lease the theatres from us and restore and rejuvenate them to a level of grandeur that maybe they never achieved before,” he said, speaking to the Gazette by phone on Thursday.

Mr. Hall is a trustee who representsthe theatres’ ownership. He said the project would inject new energy into the iconic theatres.

The Strand stopped showing movies in fall of 2011, the Island in 2012 and the Capawock in 2013.

Since then, the Hall family has come under fire for the declining state of the three cinemas — the Strand, the Capawock and the Island, another theatre in Oak Bluffs. Now, major improvements are planned for all three buildings, including the Island, which is not part of the current agreement but which Mr. Snider hopes to lease in the future.

“This year, the goal is just to make it look different,” he said of the Island Theatre.

Mr. Snider’s business plan calls for the film society to operate the theatres along with its current cinema at the Tisbury Marketplace. Film society executive director Richard Paradise said the new screens will allow the society to diversify its programming and reach a wider audience.

Film team Mark Snider and Richard Paradise.
Ivy Ashe
Film team Mark Snider and Richard Paradise.
Ivy Ashe

“There are wonderful synergies and complements to having those two theatres downtown and operating again,” he said.

At his current center, Mr. Paradise is only permitted to show films after 7 p.m. during the summer months. Access to downtown venues will remove that barrier, and bring a younger demographic, Mr. Paradise said.

“The frequency and diversity of films will be greatly expanded,” he said. He also said while the film center’s location attracts few spontaneous viewers, the downtown locations will catch the passersby.

More screens also means more visibility. Some film studios require the theatre to guarantee a certain amount of screen time for the films they distribute; this can be a challenge for small theatres that can’t bank on attracting a large audience to several showings of the same film.

The Strand has 250 seats while the Capawock seats 210.

A love of film and Vineyard history initially drew Mr. Snider to the project. “Since I was a kid, I loved the theatres — all of them and I just was very sad when they shut,” he said.

Still, he said there were risks.

“The challenge is to take the past and make it relevant to today,” he said. “What we have to do is we have to transition these theatres from a model that wasn’t working to something that will work and will become meaningful to people.”

His success depends on raising the funds to refurbish the theatres, and on buy-in from the community, he said.

“We have to survive,” Mr. Snider said. “No business ever survived based on idealism. It’s hard work.”

While he praised Mr. Snider’s abilities, Mr. Hall said only one thing can ensure the success of the venture: the movie-going public.

“Once the lights come on and they put the flicker on the screen, people have to fill the seats, and that is the most important thing,” he said.

Mr. Hall said his family will provide financial support to the organization.

“That is part of our good will to show how excited we are that somebody with some foresight and capacity is stepping up to try to make a go of the theatres,” Mr. Hall said.

The theatres will operate on flexible seasonal schedules, and will accommodate community events, Mr. Snider said.

In addition to providing what he hopes will be a quintessential Vineyard experience, he said the theatres will also drive spending downtown.

“This whole thing is only going to work if everyone says, ‘this is special and we really want to support it,’” Mr. Snider said.

For information about how to support the venture, write to [email protected] or call 508-310-7837.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/12/2015 - 19:50

Permalink

Binnie Ravitch WT

Bravo! This is wonderful news for everyone. Gentlemen, take a bow.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/12/2015 - 20:05

Permalink

Lisa Reagan Oak Bluffs

Hubbie and I had our first date at the OB theater....and many more sine then. Would so love to see the Strand back in action. Three cheers!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/12/2015 - 21:55

Permalink

Paul Doherty Vineyard Haven Ma

I am shocked by this incredibly wonderful outcome. It is so long overdue!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/12/2015 - 23:30

Permalink

Suzanne Nissen Needham

Wow!! Mark is a true hero - first he brought Katama back to life and now OB and VH. Movie theatres are the vibrant center of a town and he will do so much for these towns. Everything he does is done well - I'm so thrilled!! The Halls should take a lesson from this class act!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 03:35

Permalink

Gayle MacLennan Oak Bluffs and Billerica MA

THANK YOU!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 05:31

Permalink

Kathy Smith Chilmark

What visionaries! We'd drive over to support you...love those old movie theaters

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 06:25

Permalink

concerned tisbury

Great news, Mr. Hall gets someone else to pay to fix his dilapidated buildings, if the business fails, he gets a remodeling for free. I'm glad the buildings will be fixed though.

peterpeter martha's vineyard

My thoughts exactly. This sets the precedent. Neglect your property , which the Halls have done all over this island, and a white knight or two will come your way and beg for community support. The town should have dealt with this years ago and nipped this in the bud. I am happy it's happening but fear the outcome and even the resonating affects to property owners that neglect their property.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 06:37

Permalink

Maribeth Priore Oak Bluffs

This is the best news I've read in a long time! I love those theaters and will be thrilled to see them restored to their former glory, thank you Mark Snider!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 07:02

Permalink

Scott Frank Chilmark

This is incredible news. I really hope this happens. The theater at the marketplace is a home run.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 08:18

Permalink

Donna Getty North Carolina

My summer time on the Vineyard just got better. Thank you for restoring these beautiful buildings. Let's go to the movies!

Skeptic Island

WHAT? "These beautiful buildings"? Tear them down. In the age of on-line streaming and with parking issues when the customers of summer traffic are here, we do not need this many movie theaters!
Tear them down.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 09:23

Permalink

Richard Toole Oak Bluffs

Fantastic news! This is the type ofcollaboration that should be able to save these iconic anchors of Circuit Ave.. Oak Bluffs is on a roll! Local film makers and other artists will be thrilled. Thank you and best of luck. Richard Toole

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 09:36

Permalink

Cat OB/CT

Richard Paradise and Mark Snider are wonderful. Fingers crossed for this, we will be there!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 10:13

Permalink

John Newsom Information Booth

After a couple of years sitting in the Information Booth, shedding tears of sadness for the two theaters, I shed a tear of joy reading this article. God Bless Mark and Richard and the Theaters!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 10:17

Permalink

Barbara beichek OB

It used to be a thrill to go to a Sunday matinee, ALWAYS a Sunday matinee in the off season, for twizzlers, a jug of (extra butter, please, pop corn) and wonder id we were going to be hit with one of those plywood pieces nailed to the ceiling when they let go.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 10:24

Permalink

Phillip McCavity Oak Bluffs

This is great news. As long as the Hall's have no part whatsoever in the renovation or operation of the theaters they should be a success. As everyone on the island knows the Hall family isn't even competent enough to operate a gas station.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 10:45

Permalink

Tim McCumber Mount Olive NJ

I am so glad to see this project underway. I am a long time visitor to the island and I have such fond memories of movies like Star Wars from my childhood. I hope to make these memories with my kids.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 11:14

Permalink

J C Murphy West Tisbury

Wrong everybody. The heroes are the Halls who paid the taxes and withstood the test of time in an almost recessionary business cycle for theatres which is now allowing this New economic RISK to take place and potentially revive an industry in a new business cycle with the spirit of non-bureaucratic thinking which could possibly create revenue instead of just increasing taxes. The bureaucrats and the semi-wealthy as well as the dominant autocrats have improved themselves financial at the expense of the general public through sophistry and have substituted the false-sequitur of affordable housing, EXTRA-ordinary educational spending (beyond the pale of rational thinking)as well as other such welfare reforms etcetera as incredible feckless economic & educational solutions. They can only temporarily solve the problem. Jobs are the issue, whether it be tourism, research, educational boutiques, or whatever an entrepreneur can layout as a valid venture and improvement to an existing situation and demonstrate this to financially educated and genuinely motivated people. In other words, the candle stick maker (Trust baby, Bureaucrat, or Autocrat) always attempts to destroy the light bulb maker through sophistry which would alter the former's dominance and slow down potential growth for its own benefit. Bloated salaries & pensions, and covert decisions retard growth, not the risk taking and holding and believing in potential assets within a community as the Halls have done.

Guest West Tisbury

You lost everybody after the 2nd sentence. What have the Halls done? Withstand the test of time? The buildings are in disrepair, as are all Hall properties, and are an economic blight on both VH and OB downtown areas. They have a $40m real estate portfolio, and continue to handle their properties in the same fashion as the Strand. Any idiot with their portfolio would have leveraged other assets to fix these, or sold these assets outright. They deserve NO KUDOS at all, for putting both towns thru this mess.

J C Murphy West Tisbury

Being lost is a common condition of people who sometimes refuse to understand business cycles and probability risks involved in ventures that may or may not provide an opportunity for a profit and the ability to provide tax benefits to the community. If you have a malevolent environment to provide a service as I have mentioned in my preliminary statement, one would simply hold the asset until it becomes an opportune time with the conditions either to liquidate the property for a profit or provide the environment for others with specific skills to lease and utilize or improve the property and provide a fair profit and pay a fair income tax as well as local real estate tax. Why haven’t others stepped forward to take the risk to purchase the properties taking into consideration the future value of the properties or lease the properties with the imagination the pierce the obstacles of bureaucrats or as I have metaphorically mentioned previously “autocratic candle stick makers.” No one has come forth with the courage to develop a profitable venture and pay the taxes, so please with a factual mathematical & economic argument, articulate why no one has made an attempt to take the risk. What we have is a non-profit who evidently is willing to take the risk and will unless it is treated as a university contribute tax wise to the community. Once again, I would deductively chance guess and say that the Halls once again are taking the risk and contributing to the economic well-being of the town by paying the real estate taxes.

Phillip McCavity Oak Bluffs

The Halls are a disgrace as property owners. The only thing they are good for are open ended promises that never come to fruition. Here is an idea. If you can't properly maintain your property sell it to someone who can. Island residents are tired of looking at all the Halls run down island properties.

J C Murphy West Tisbury

My email is [email protected] I have sent one comment prior to Mr. McCavity's here within and one after which I sent twice because I have received no response. The emails were certainly were informative and certainly not repugnant or vile as the 1st response one after my original, Mr. McCavity, or some of others. I humbly think you lack of reporting is prejudicial and incredibly slanted. Please reply

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 11:42

Permalink

Sue Cimmino Palm Harbor, FL

I saw my first movie in 1953 at the Strand in OB and enjoyed so many wonderful visits to the OB and VH theaters for so many years. Always sad to come back to the Vineyard and see them in such horrible shape. What a great thing to bring back so others can enjoy family night in both towns as I did. Thanks for perserving some of the island history.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 12:15

Permalink

Interested Party MV/FL

This is the best news I have heard in quite some time! Having grown up in Vineyard Haven, I am thrilled that Mark is providing leadership to this extremely important effort so critical to our island. I am equally thrilled that Ben and his family are exhibiting a willingness to work with Mark on a solution. Naysaying about the Hall family is both counterproductive and unfair.
That said, the key to this effort, in my humble opinion, is ensuring that the solution is sustainable for the long term. With this in mind and, as it is already mid-February with inclement weather plaguing any immediate progress on construction projects on the Island, it may be prudent to prioritize the QUALITY of the solution over the execution timeline. Defining a clear vision of that 'high quality solution' in a way that is tangible to the community and potential donors is paramount. Managing a deliberate process of communicating that vision will likely serve greater momentum in fund raising which, I suspect, will relieve pressure on the need for immediate operating performance. I am sure none of this is foreign to Mark and his team but it would be worth mulling these considerations and managing the expectations of the community. It would be unfortunate if, due to haste, we are bemoaning the condition of these great assets of our community down the road.
Well done Mark and, per our email exchange this morning, you can count on my financial, strategic and tactical support!!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 12:32

Permalink

dekacehn Massachusetts

Thanks, Mark, for a commendable effort.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 13:03

Permalink

Michael OB/FL

When the non profit is formed please make the info available. My donation check is waiting.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 16:17

Permalink

Fred Shaw Boca Raton, FL

I hope you can get it done. I have fond memories of attending movies in both places. Good luck.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 16:26

Permalink

Joyce OB & off island

Great news for young & old alike. Lots of memories in those theaters. I would be happy to contribute. Walked home from Blair witch with my girls petrified! Thank you for your effort.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/13/2015 - 16:54

Permalink

Cara Slats West Tisbury / Boston

I love the laundry list of excuses Ben Hall notes for the theatres' demise. Digital cinema didn't even exist when these buildings started to fall apart.

I am very excited they are being restored as to no longer be an eyesore. I agree the Hall family should keep their distance because their slum lord expertise is not required.

Cheers and best of luck to Mark Snider and Richard Paradise! You have big hearts and vision.

Add new comment

About text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.