Living Room theatre in Killam running free movies on Wednesday evenings over the summer

Leslie Cholowsky Editor

The Living Room theatre, on Main Street Killam, is running free Wednesday night movies all summer long.

The Living Room is owned and operated by the Killam Pentecostal Church, and earlier in the year, a discussion about doing something to use the facility more took place. A smaller group of volunteers split off, and decided to try something this summer, starting with Wednesday night movies.

Daniel Jackson, who is part of the group, says their film agreement/licence doesn’t have every movie, but that members of the group picked selections they would like to see. “It’s eclectic, but we hope there’s something for everybody.”

He says that the Living Room, despite being owned and operated by the Church, is available to the wider community for use. “In the beginning, they didn’t want the building to be lost; we wanted to give the community a place for connection.”

The facility is available for birthday rentals, to show movies or even play video games on the big screen. It’s used by Killam Public School for Christmas and end-of-year movies, and also by Central High Sedgewick Public School and home-schooling groups. Facility rentals are by donation. “We really want to make the space accessible to all.”

It has a small area where tables and chairs can be set for meetings, including a coffee station, theatre seating for around 126, (which can be supple- mented with chairs up to 200) and a stage.

They would also love to see the building used for drama and music programs, and even after-school programs.

The movies have been well received so far, the smallest crowd was 16 people, and the most, 42. Admission is free, or by donation, and the concession is open with extremely low prices for popcorn and pop. “We wanted to make it a family friendly experience.” They are also running Season Four of The Chosen, from August to September, each Sunday, starting Aug. 4.

Jackson says the theatre isn’t air conditioned, but the thick concrete walls do a terrific job of keeping it cool, even during a heat wave like we’ve just experienced.

The movie crowd has picked up over the last two or three weeks,” he says. “We want to get a feel for how we fit into the community and let everyone know what we have to offer.”

As with similar facilities, the Living Room was hosting five to six events a month before COVID, and since the pandemic, has slowly been opening back up. “As with all theatres, we’re finding our place. With the summer movies, we hope we’re starting a new tradition.”

Jackson says that their hope is to get and expand a small volunteer base to help keep the movie program going. “We need volunteers. We have a small and enthusiastic group right now, but we don’t want to burn them out.

“We would like to try to keep it fun for our volunteers, scheduling events at a level where they are enjoying themselves, and not feeling like it’s just more work.”

He says the group is also open to suggestions on how the community would like to see the facility used. “There is space for small groups of people or clubs to meet here.”

The church hosted a gospel quartet at The Living Room last week, and have “Long Live the King,” scheduled for a two-day stay in October, a Christian rock artist and ministry based out of Kneehill County. “Whether he is performing solo or with a band behind him, Long Live The King is best known for his entertaining and edgy performances that are used as a platform to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From fun pop-rock to worship songs; and guitar solos to story telling, his show is guaranteed to impact lives.”

Another idea the group has for this coming fall, sometime after Thanksgiving, is opening meetings for local artisans and crafters people for a conference. “We don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like; it’s still in the planning stages.”

The building just had the roof replaced, which was partially funded by insurance after last summer’s hail, and partly by community sponsors. Jackson says, “We have quite a few very generous sponsors who support not just the building but the programs, too.”

Besides the roof, the group is also trying to determine what to do with the mural on the north side of the building.

Jackson says that since Ben Kellert moved away, acknowledging the hard work that Kellert put into booking events for the facility, there is not a specific ‘promoter’ but that getting in touch via any of the above methods should work in contacting someone who can help.