(As published in The Post-Crescent, December 17, 2004 )
 Posted Dec 17, 2004 Theater construction a really big deal Owners confident Appleton can support large screen venue
By Jim Lundstrom
APPLETON — Things are looking up on Washington Avenue in downtown Appleton.
Way up.
If you stand at ground level inside The Big Picture theater going up at 215 E. Washington St. and throw your head back as far as it will go, you can just about see where the top of the 60-foot-high screen will be.
The mylar screen will stretch six stories high and 80 feet wide.
Sights: The screen will be more than six stories high and 80 feet wide
Sounds: Digital system has 18,000 watts of power
Seats: Steep-raked stadium design will accommodate 298 people
But why build one of these in Appleton?
“Why Appleton? Because we deserve it,” said owner-developer James Bork. “That was my feeling when I saw these types of theaters in other communities. The contents of the films just fits our market so nicely — the education component, the family friendly nature of the films. Why not Appleton?”
The theater will seat 298 people in a steep-raked stadium setting with a state-of-the-art digital sound system that can crank out 18,000 watts.
“The theater is designed to provide an unobstructed view of the screen from every seat,” said Ed Bisaillon, the large-screen theater veteran who was hired as the theater’s executive director by owner/developers James and Michelle Bork and Chuck and Donna Barnum.
“The sound system is designed to replicate the whole range of human hearing,” Bisaillon said, adding that clusters of speakers behind the screen and in the theater will ensure “every seat will be washed with the same amount of sound.”
Both seats and screen are scheduled to go into the theater in January.
Bisaillon has been involved in large-screen theaters since 1990, when the natural history museum he ran in a Nebraska town of 20,000 people added an IMAX theater and saw annual attendance at the museum go from 50,000 to 200,000.
He also served as director of the IMAX theater in Milwaukee, and while there supervised the building of two large-screen theaters for the Marcus Corp. in Chicago and Columbus, Ohio.
His last posting was to revive a failing large-screen theater in California. The doors were about to close due to lack of attendance.
Eighteen months after taking control, Bisaillon said the theater was ranked No. 1 for attendance in the nation and No. 3 worldwide. Before he left, the theater achieved No. 1 ranking worldwide.
How?
“It’s the right mix of programming and understanding your market,” he said. “And customer service. That’s my biggest hot button. We’re really taking pains to make this user-friendly.”
The theater expects to employ 20 people, with most of those jobs being part time.
“We’re advertising right now,” Bisaillon said. “Visit the Web site (www.bigpicturetheater. com) for employment opportunities.”
While most large-format theaters are in major metropolitan areas or big tourist spots, Bisaillon said the 1.1 million people who live within a 60-mile radius of Appleton are enough to make it work.
“This is a great anchor for downtown and I think a real feather in the cap of the Fox Cities,” he said.
Bork said the normal running times will be from noon to 8 p.m., with seven public showings per day. School and other groups can make arrangement for private showings.
The cost will be comparable to conventional theaters, Bork said, at about $8.50 for adults, less for children and seniors, and even less for groups.
Sometime later in 2005, perhaps in the fall, Bork said the theater will be adding a 3-D component.
“Certain films are produced to be presented in 3-D, and that requires an additional projector, one for each eye,” he said. “we hope to have that down the road, maybe in the fall.”
And look for a weeklong opening gala in March, he said. Jim Lundstrom can be reached at 920-993-1000, ext. 374, or by e-mail at jlundstrom@ postcrescent.com |
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