Government

Town ‘Very Close’ To Reaching Agreement with Playhouse Operator

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The town is on the verge of reaching an agreement with an operator for the Playhouse, New Canaan’s highest elected official said Tuesday night. A presentation regarding the iconic Elm Street building— closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and available to a new tenant since Bow Tie Cinemas terminated its lease nine months later—will be made next week to municipal officials, according to First Selectman Kevin Moynihan. “We are very close to having an agreement with the proposed operator,” Moynihan told members of the Town Council during a regular meeting held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “And we hope that the TC will look favorably on funding the renovation of the Playhouse so we can open it by year-end,” Moynihan said. His comments came during a general update to the legislative body.

Around Town

Moynihan: Playhouse Could Reopen As Early As Thanksgiving

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The town could open the Playhouse on Elm Street with a movie operator in place as early as Thanksgiving, according to New Canaan’s highest elected official. Though municipal officials had thought at first they could reopen the theater without addressing some interior improvements, the town’s strategy now is to fix problems both inside and outside the 1923 building first, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said. Specifically, improvements have to do with “ADA compliance and things like the bathrooms that just have to be done to make it a serviceable venue,” he told NewCanaanite.com in an interview. “We thought we could continue to operate but it’s time to really just do them now and keep the place closed for a little longer to get them done,” Moynihan said. “So, best case, we are probably looking at Thanksgiving time to reopen.”

Closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and available to a new tenant since Bow Tie Cinemas terminated its lease in December, the iconic movie house already is getting new roofing this year.

Government

First Selectman: Bow Tie Cinemas To Terminate Lease for ‘Playhouse’ Building on Elm Street

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The longtime tenant of the iconic Playhouse movie theater building on Elm Street plans to terminate its lease, New Canaan’s highest elected official said Tuesday night. Under its agreement with the town, Bow Tie Cinemas can operate in in the space through 2022 with an option to renew through 2027. Yet the Playhouse closed mid-March with the onset of COVID-19 virus, and now plans to get out of the lease, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan told members of the Board of Finance during their regular meeting. “We will begin to look for alternative arrangements for an operator for that facility,” Moynihan said during the meeting, held via videoconference. “I think we are all committed to maintaining a movie theater in town,” he said.