Colorado Voices
One last show at the Esquire Theater
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Denver Esquire theater is shutting down after 97 years
Denver’s Esquire Theater, a fixture for film buffs and “Rocky Horror” fans, is closing after nearly a century of business.
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Colorado Voices is a local public television program presented by RMPBS
Colorado Voices
One last show at the Esquire Theater
Clip | 5mVideo has Closed Captions
Denver’s Esquire Theater, a fixture for film buffs and “Rocky Horror” fans, is closing after nearly a century of business.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipThe Esquire It's not just a movie theater.
It really is a meeting place.
It feels like a bit of a safe haven for people who don't have anywhere else to go.
There's so many people in this community, in Denver, in Colorado, who have such fond memories of this place.
I've tried really hard to save this theater to keep it a movie theater.
didn't necessarily have any big plans.
I just kind of made a post on my personal Instagram, more so to like, let my friends know because like, I was like, my God, I can't believe this place is closing through that I got connected with members of the Rocky Horror Picture Shadow cast.
That Esquire theater is their home theater, and that's Colorado Elusive ingredient.
And so they reached out and they were like, we're devastated by this news.
You know, they've been performing monthly at the Esquire for decades.
we kind of formed a bit of a grassroots, you know, Facebook chat of like, okay, let's like put our heads together and try to see what avenues we can go down to to save the theater and keep it a running movie theater.
Shadow casting is where.
So the movies playing in the background start to finish, the whole thing's going and then our cast is on a stage that we build in front of it, acting out the movie pretty scene accurately.
So when Janets hand goes up who's ever playing down on our cast, their hand goes up to.
And then there are parts where we get a little comedic with it do something a little different.
We have a conga line, we have running, we have a dance break for a boring scene, and we just keep that going.
And then those are people who are in the audience for audience interaction.
They're all Transylvanians and they're talking to the audience, yelling at the audience in a fun way, not angry.
They're getting the audience up or dancing or having all of the fun with it.
Honestly, it does happen for a lot of movies.
Rocky Horror was the first.
If you watch the movie, you notice there's a lot of like really weird timing spots.
Like there's this moment where Brad says, I really like to and then just like stops for a moment.
And that really encouraged people to start like going and yelling out at it.
It originally started at the Waverly Theater.
They did the midnight run every single Saturday night for like two years, and it was the same people going every time.
And it just became like this friend group thing where they come up with jokes to yell during the movie.
it's such a weird movie, it's a really queer movie.
It's a really punk movie.
It attracts this like counterculture that they really need a space together.
Like, I think that's that's why it's so valuable for our cast is, you know, the reason it originally attracted people is the reason it's still attracting people is we we really need that community.
And it's a weird movie that lends to that really well.
all of us at the very start, it was just sort of unbelievable.
We're like, they're planning, they're trying to do this.
That's not going to happen.
Like, no way is this going to pass.
know, we were fighting it every step away.
We had this enormous turnout like that, petition overnight, having hundreds and thousands of signs on it, like none of us really thought it was going to happen.
I think at the moment it was like, okay, this is confirmed.
We got the the message from the one who the man who runs the Esquire.
And it was just gut wrenching Rocky exists as sort of something that is separate to the space, like we perform at theaters all over Denver.
But the Esquire is always our home theater.
We're there every single month, and so many of us have these memories of that space.
It's like, you know, we're trying to focus on like the the thing being the community and the thing being the people, but losing that space is really gut wrenching.
really shown me how important it is to be involved in your neighborhood associations to not forget about the places you love I'm so grateful for everyone who has helped me along the way.
There is an amazing team that has been helping me behind the scenes the community that's been built from the saved, the Esquire has just been incredible.
It's very cool to see everybody who not only from the Rocky community, but from the extended Esquire community.
So everyone who loves these art house films, everyone who loves getting to go watch our show, even as big as the Barbie movie or as Taylor Swift's.
Eras Tour we want to see it in this historic venue and this local place.
They're all going to miss it, too, and we're going to miss them.
I think that community that's been built isn't going anywhere.
I don't see save the Esquire as a concept going away.
There'll be more places.
There's still that community that's built in history in having a connection and being queer and being punk and then loving Denver and then loving Denver's history too.
When life gives you a house, move it.
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Colorado Voices is a local public television program presented by RMPBS