Jeffrey Yates to Own, Operate Old Town Theater

The Old Town Theater may live again as a theater.

The theater owner, Rob Kaufman, is selling it to Alexandria businessman Jeffrey Yates, who has filed paperwork with the City stating that he proposes to operate the theater as a theater.

Kaufman said Wednesday that he decided that if he could find a buyer who would keep the theater going he would sell. “That’s the direction it’s headed,” he said Wednesday.

New owner Jeffrey Yates proposes to bring the theater back to life with live and recorded music performances, lectures, comedy shows, theatrical shows, orchestra events, musicals, sporting event showings, public and private parties, public educational symposiums/lectures, political and public interest speakers with Q&A, community educational/outreach activities.

Kaufman has also tried to operate it as a theater but it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride during the two-plus years he owned the theater; he had proposed to the City Planning Commission that he gut it and lease it out to retail and/or restaurant businesses; the planning commission had reluctantly agreed back in February, but the proposal was pulled from the City Council’s Feb. 21 agenda.

Will the name of the 100-year old Old Town Theater remain? That’s yet to be seen. (To be fair, it has seen other names.)

Yates says in his proposal that there may be a theme to the establishment relating to the Yates name and their association with automotive interests.