Cinema Lab To Relaunch New Canaan Playhouse In 2023

NEW CANAAN, CT — Town officials and Cinema Lab LLC announced Friday a lease has been signed for Cinema Lab to develop, design and operate The Playhouse theater on Elm Street, which has been closed since March 2020.

First Selectman Kevin Moynihan first announced this summer the town had entered into a letter of intent with the New Jersey-based movie theatre development and management company to renovate and reopen The Playhouse.

The theater, which will house two auditoriums, will feature plush seating, a family friendly lobby offering standard and premium concessions and a separate full bar, is expected to re-open in late 2023, according to a news release provided by Cinema Lab.

"I am very pleased that we have finalized the lease with Cinema Lab to be able to reopen The Playhouse in late 2023 as a unique, community focused movie venue," Moynihan said in a news release. "Renovations are already well underway restoring the classic exterior of the 100-year-old building, and the developing designs for the interior chambers promise to be an exciting reimagination of spaces that generations of New Canaan families have enjoyed in creating lifelong memories together. I look forward to welcoming Cinema Lab to become a key part of our community next year."

The renovated theater will also feature a second-floor event space that will double as a member’s club and will include a small plates menu designed by Chef Luke Venner of Elm Restaurant in New Canaan.

During a meeting last month, the town's superintendent of buildings, Bill Oestmann, told members of the Town Council renovation work was continuing smoothly at the theater and approximately 30 percent of exterior work had been completed.

"We're moving right along with the design, development of the interior work...everybody's on board," Oestmann said in October. "We've been doing a lot of meetings over there, going through everything. It's been pretty good."

See also: Renovations, Reopening Planned For New Canaan Playhouse

• 30 Percent Of Exterior Work Completed On New Canaan Playhouse Project

Cinema Lab CEO Luke Parker Bowles said the company was delighted to be part of New Canaan and light up the marquee and screens on Elm Street in 2023, which marks the 100-year anniversary of The Playhouse's opening in 1927.

"Movies will once again bring families and friends to this central space where great memories will be created," Parker Bowles said in a news release. "Our designers include former members of The Soho House Group; hence the look and feel will have a similar high-end yet cozy and beautifully curated feel, acknowledging and leaning-in to the best elements of the original theatre's atmosphere."

According to Cinema Lab, the team plans to create a "community-focused, technology-first and ecologically conscious movie going experience that leads the way in hospitality, programming, presentation and design."

Catering to their guests needs, The Playhouse will feature a slate of the latest studio films along with a thoughtfully curated selection of independent releases, film series and conversations with filmmakers.

"We are in an era where more content is being produced than ever, giving us and The Playhouse audience an opportunity to see something amazing on the big screen every night of the week," Brandon Jones, Cinema Lab's chief marketing officer, said in a news release. "The box office has recovered to over seventy per cent of 2019 revenue and the 2023–24 season is stacked with highly anticipated films for all audiences."

The Playhouse is the fifth in a series of cinemas to open by Cinema Lab across the country. The company currently operates theaters in New Jersey and Colorado, and will soon open theaters in Bradley Beach, N.J., and Great Barrington, Mass., next year.