A recent e-newsletter from West of Lenin theater broadcast a ‘call to action,’ asking theater supporters to call their State Senators and Representatives about two currently proposed bills that could benefit small arts institutions.
The bills are SB6366 and HB2558, and they each establish a theater license to allow selling of beer and wine to patrons of age for consumption during a show. Currently, state law requires that an all ages venue must have a separate area for serving and consuming alcohol, with no alcohol allowed inside the auditorium.
The Senate bill has been written specifically for small movie theaters, although it can be adapted for performance venues – and particularly West of Lenin which hosts film events (and qualifies as a ‘single screen’ cinema) in addition to live theatre.
The ability to serve wine and beer would draw larger audiences, and more producers, plus alcohol has a mark-up that could be a real benefit to small venues. As it states in the West of Lenin e-newsletter, “Bottom line: if this bill passes, our bottom line gets a lot easier to manage, and that means we can keep programming awesome events.”
Help small arts venues become more financially sustainable by reviewing these bills, and contacting your State Senator and/or Representative (find out how on-line) to let them know what you think.