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THE NIGHTLIGHT’S NEW CHAMP
The Nightlight rolls out the red carpet with a new leader and renovations
Local indie theatre re-emerges from the pandemic with safety upgrades
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WRITTEN BY DEREK KREIDER; PHOTO OF JENN KIDD, COURTESY OF THE NIGHTLIGHT
Downtown Akron’s art house theatre has a new champion. Shuttered by the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020, The Nightlight Cinema reopens June 11 with a new executive director leading the way.
Jenn Kidd, who has been a longtime advocate for the Historic Arts District, was announced ahead of the reopening as The Nightlight’s new leader, which she describes as her dream job.
“To me, it’s the gem of downtown,” Kidd says, adding that working there “checks off all the boxes of things I love to do.” Previously, Kidd worked for three years as the general manager of Musica, overseeing the day-to-day operation of the venue and putting marketing strategies into action, as well as working as Creative Director of the Historic Arts District.
A self-described “cultural logistics coordinator,” and lifelong film buff, Kidd is looking forward to sharing the magic of movies with Akron.
“I am an artist, and I love connecting people with art,” she says. “I enjoy the challenge of introducing people to something they may not be familiar with.”
Matthew Wachter, a trustee of the non-profit cinema who served as its interim executive director, expressed his confidence in a press release, saying, “The Nightlight is in great hands moving towards a bright future.”
When fans return, they’ll also find some significant changes, beginning as they enter through the Rob Lucas Lobby, named for The Nightlight co-founder and founder of the Akron Independent Film Festival. Those renovations were funded by donations from Lucas’ family after he passed last July at the age of 41, following a seven-year battle with cancer.
The theatre has been upgraded with an HVAC and UV-C air filtration system designed to reduce airborne contaminants, as well as plexiglass shielding around the box office, hand sanitizing stations and “markers for socially distant check-in and seating,” according to the Nightlight’s website.
The theatre has been upgraded with an HVAC and UV-C air filtration system designed to reduce airborne contaminants, as well as plexiglass shielding around the box office, hand sanitizing stations and “markers for socially distant check-in and seating,” according to the Nightlight’s website.
And not a moment too soon for Kidd.
“During COVID, when I was sitting at home last year at this time being sad, I was like, ‘Gosh, I wish I could go to The Nightlight and see a movie’,” she says.
The Nightlight, which opened in 2014 with grants from the Knight Foundation and the GAR Foundation, debuted the Rob Lucas Lobby and their new safety measures with two films to kick off the 2021 season: Melvin Van Peebles’s “The Story of a Three Day Pass” and “The Perfect Candidate” by Haifaa al-Mansour.
A good film might be what Akronites need as we emerge from our pandemic-induced hibernation, and The Nightlight’s welcoming, air-conditioned arms beckon.
“There’s something very comforting,” Kidd says “about sitting in the cinema just with you, your thoughts and the film.”
The Nightlight will operate at halfcapacity for the immediate future. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at nightlightcinema.com.
//Derek Kreider is a general assignment reporter and distribution manager for The Devil Strip.
Present
Retro
by P.R. Miller
July 10 – September 25
Betty and Howard Taylor & Welcome Galleries
P.R. Miller showcases his life’s work in Present and Retro. Experience the evolution of his work in this retrospective exhibition and witness his three principal identities as a junk man, artist, and wizard. “The Grizzled Wizard” alters the viewer’s reality by making trash into treasure. Present and Retro will include works made from glass, metal, clay, and more, chronicling the artist’s journey over the course of his decades-long career.
Public Hours
Fridays 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. Saturdays from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
