Celebrating 110 years, the Orpheum Theatre in Estevan, Saskatchewan is very likely the longest continuously independently run cinema in Canada.
With its bright and colourful exterior, the Orpheum enjoys its journey into mixing film and live music with a memorable performance by Randy Bachman in 2004. Today, the venue hosts a mix of first-run film, independent film with Energy City Film Circuit and diverse live performances.
We heard from owner-operator Jocelyn Dougherty on the legacy of the Orpheum Theatre, and the mix of challenges and opportunities ahead for the iconic small-town venue.
What makes The Orpheum unique?
It could be the oldest, longest continuously independently run theatre in Canada. If not, it is likely in the top three? The Orpheum Theatre has a great history with vaudeville and was even used a meeting place for soldiers after the world war to assist them with returning into society.
What sort of films do you show?
We are first run. We partner with the Energy City Film Circuit so show independent films with them at least once per month.
What are The Orpheum’s greatest challenges?
Right now, as most theatres, our biggest challenge is getting bums back in the seats! We are really struggling financially. Our roof is in bad shape but there is no money to repair it.
Audiences love our second cinema with new rocker seats. Honestly, the seats really aren’t that bad in the other cinema, but we receive complaints about them. We can’t afford to replace 400 seats at this time. It is frustrating because we want audiences to enjoy our films no matter the cinema. I guess the upside is that they really like the newer cinema and its seats.
Our other big challenge right now is that the city is doing a “downtown revitalization project.” Our cinema is on main street and there will be a large part of the summer when our road will be closed. There is a great deal of confusion on what this will entail; the city thought people could access the theatre from the back alley, but all we have are two fire exit doors with stairs that lead into the cinema auditorium! Plus, we are losing out on the advertising potential of our marquee and poster frames, as cars will no longer be driving by the theatre. The city also wants to plant two big trees right in front of our marquee and poster frames. Many challenges ahead!
What are your favourite compliments that The Orpheum receives from your audience?
We have the best popcorn, our staff are very polite, our place is so clean, and people love the decor and how we renovated.
What’s a memorable film screening or event you hosted?
My husband Alan always says Armageddon. It was the first year we bought the place, in 1998; the cinema was packed and he saw a couple large men leave the theatre with a tear in their eye. That’s what movies are all about – making people feel and forgetting about their world for a couple hours.
Our silent films with live accompaniment during our 100th birthday party were a great memory. During the afternoon we had invited the local high school to attend. The highlight was seeing some of those students return for the evening screening because they enjoyed it so much. Not only was 1914 the centenary of the Orpheum, it was also the anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s first appearance on film.
No year of festivities would be complete without a visit from a very special visitor – Santa Claus! Every year, the children love receiving free goodie bags with a chance to chat with Santa after the movie.
We’ve had the privilege of hosting many live events over the years. Our first big concert was Randy Bachman which gave us the “bug” for live entertainment. We had the late great Kenny Shields (& Streetheart) – Kenny actually wanted to record in our original cinema because he said the acoustics were so great. The venue was made for vaudeville and we’ve never touched the ceiling or walls because of the great sound.
Most recently our most memorable event(s) was having two sold out shows of Johnny Reid. I’m a big fan, so the first concert was a big personal thrill. And when he personally asked to come back to our theatre the second time – that was quite the compliment.
What are your most popular concession items?
Popcorn, Mini-Donuts and Twizzlers would be the top three. We serve liquor all the time now so that has helped us out a bit.
What projects are you considering for the future?
We wanted to fix our roof and put new seats in the original cinema. That is all on hold right now as we are just concentrating on keeping our doors open.
Tell us about yourself; how did you get your start in film exhibition?
My husband and I were friends with and started helping out the previous owners when they needed assistance – their family had owned the theatre since 1962. So, when they decided to retire, they gave us first option. We hadn’t planned it, but it just happened and we jumped at it.
