The Greenwich International Film Festival (GIFF) is proud to announce that the Avon Theatre will be a screening venue for the 2016 festival, June 9th through 12th. This partnership would not be possible without the support of Deborah Royce, President of the Avon Theatre’s Board of Directors, and Louisa Greene, Avon Theatre’s Director of Development and Marketing. To mark this special occasion, we took a tour of the Avon Theatre with Deborah and Louisa.
When walking into the Avon Theatre in Stamford, CT, it is as if you are being transported back into the Golden Age of Hollywood. Built in 1939, this historic landmark is a shrine to the early movie theatres of the 1900s. Constructed in a colonial revival theme with slight traces of art-deco style, this two-screen movie theatre seats over 500 patrons.
The entire building is a work of art, with murals on the walls and gold leaf work adorning the ceilings. The murals on the walls of the lower-level theatre depict the early settlers in Connecticut and the gorgeous landscape. Painted by famous local artist Oscar Glas, the murals are rich and vibrant, and Avon plans to restore them in the coming years.
Originally, the Avon Theatre was one screen with balcony seating. After being split into two screens in the 1970s, the main theatre now seats 275 and the balcony theatre seats 250 patrons in the original seats.
Throughout the tour, Deborah and Louisa both spoke proudly about the Avon Theatre, especially about the strong support from the community.
In 2014, GIFF hosted a screening of “Lucky Them” and Q&A with actress Toni Collette and screenwriter Emily Wachtel at the Avon Theatre. While there, Toni Collette was in awe of the beautiful restoration and said that it was “like a church.”
From the stunning murals to the beautiful silhouette artwork, the attention to detail throughout the theatre transforms you back into a time of true Hollywood glamour.
The Greenwich International Film Festival is so excited to have the Avon Theatre be apart of our festival in June. Look out for our Festival Schedule in early May to find out what films will be screening at the Avon this year.
