The Wilmette Theatre has long been a draw for film lovers, as a multi-arts and performance center presenting small and independent films, live comedy, lectures and theater, as well as providing a home for the Actors Training Center, which trains young people serious about becoming actors.
Patrons of the 103-year-old downtown Wilmette theater, like Heather Hehman of Wilmette and Chicagoan Stan Palder, describe it as a community gem, whose breadth of offerings outstrips what they can find at corporate theater chains.
On May 18, Palder, Hehman, and other fans of The Wilmette, as it’s popularly known, celebrated the two-screen operation’s latest accomplishment: the renovation and redesign of Theatre Two, now re-named the Jerome Mirza Theatre, honoring the father of theater patron Candace Mirza.
“It’s now a place where people can meet and get to know each other, and do much more than they once were able to do in this space,” said Wendy Sharon, the theater’s executive director.
Work that started in January transformed the original 160-seat space into an auditorium with 110 modern and more comfortable rocker-style seats. The new design also features a rear area ready to handle tables, chairs and small gatherings, both those that are part of regular Wilmette Theatre programming and rentals, Sharon said.
“It was challenging to make the rear platform for those purposes, but now we’re better able to handle those kind of events and serve our patrons even better,” she said.
She said the Jerome Mirza Foundation covered the costs of renovating the theater auditorium; that included not only $60,000 for the final screening room renovation, from chairs to its rear gathering space, but $50,000 for the auditorium’s digital projection system, which was installed in 2014.
The foundation’s continuing support of the theater stems from former Wilmette resident Candace Mirza’s love of all things film, which Mirza, who now lives in Evanston, credits in part to her father, after whom the foundation is named.
“My father grew up not far from … the Music Box Theater in Chicago. He liked the ability to be able to go to a theater in your own neighborhood,” Mirza said. “I think the idea of having a local community theater that’s a not-for-profit creates a wonderful amenity for Wilmette.”
Hehman agreed: “One of the things I really appreciate is how it’s given a vitality to downtown Wilmette. I’ve seen some of the live events, and I love the programming.”
Palder, who said he has attended films at the Wilmette for the last two decades, praised the theater’s family feel, joking, “I won’t buy junk food (like popcorn) at a chain theater, but I will here.
“I feel so comfortable here, I feel like I know everyone here. There have been times when there aren’t that many people here, but they show the film, no matter how few people are here. I love to give this place my support.”
Evanstonian James Bell said he has made it one of his entertainment stops for more than 30 years.
“It’s a nice intimate experience,” he said.
Brian Schinderle is president of the Wilmette Theatre Education Project, the not-for-profit organization that owns and operates the Wilmette Theatre. He said the organization hopes to expand what it can offer the public even more in future.
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“It’s been an exciting two to three years for us,” Schinderle said. “There was a point back about that time when our future was very much hand to mouth, but we sat down and asked how do we make this more of a community arts center, and what does that mean to this community.
“I think we’re really on our way,” he said.
To learn more about programs held at the Wilmette Theatre and how to donate to support ongoing programming and theater needs, visit www.wilmettetheatre.com.
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy