ARTS & CULTURE
RELIT & REOPENING: THE RETURN OF THE SOMERVILLE THEATRE
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itting in the middle of Davis Square at night, it’s hard not to be drawn to the lights of the Somerville Theatre. Yellowish-white lights, neatly framing an awning, once again exude a brilliance in the darkness. After being closed for a year and a half due to the pandemic, the Somerville Theatre re-opened on September 17, 2021. In 1914, the theater was built as a space for on-stage performances—including vaudeville and opera—in addition to movies. In its early years, all of these formats were part of the theater’s programming, but when the Great Depression hit, the theater began only showing movies, and live performances did not return until the 1980s. In recent
10 TUFTS OBSERVER OCTOBER 11, 2021
By Gracie Theobald-Williams years, the theater has held 30 to 40 live events each year, including comedians and music groups such as Adele, Bruce Springsteen, and U2. The interior of the theater has a classic, retro charm, heightening viewers’ experiences. Sophomore Emily Childs is a Somerville local who has been to the theater many times. She said, “It’s fun on the inside, it’s well done, it’s exciting, [and] it’s personable. They have the owls up in the corners and the decorations are always interesting.” The theater shows a broad range of films—including classic movies and art films—in addition to mainstream releases. Childs talked about some of her experiences watching movies at the theater: “They also do vintage movies and throwbacks. I got to see Sixteen Candles in the theater a n d it was so much fun… and I loved when they did the Halloween specials.” The theater also offers a variety of film formats, being one of a small number of theaters in New
England that shows movies in 70 mm. 70 mm refers to a film format where the physical film and projected image on the screen is twice as wide as typical 35 mm movie film formats. Not only is a 70 mm image larger, but it allows the viewer to see more details and is of a higher resolution. Junior Eliseo Vigil, a film and media studies major, has been to the Somerville Theatre twice. He explained that he was initially drawn to the theater because of one of the film formats that the theater was offering. “I wanted to see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood because [the Somerville Theatre was] offering it in 15mm and I thought that’d be super interesting to see,” he said. There is also the sheer entertainment value of seeing a movie in theaters that makes going to the Somerville Theatre an enjoyable experience. Childs said, “I prefer when they do specials because I like seeing the movies that… I’m already familiar with on the big screen because I’ve never [had] that experience.” Sophomore Daniel Schwartz felt similarly about the value of seeing movies in theaters: “In the theater it’s much more immersive, and it has a much grander feel because there are the big speakers and the huge screen. It makes even the bad movies fun, just to be there.” When COVID-19 hit, the theater was no longer allowed to operate. Ian Judge, creative director at the Somerville Theatre,
