Eugene weekly., July 13, 2023, Page 7, Image 7

itself — everything from the advent of streaming services
to the mainstream marketing of independent movies to
big cineplexes, and beyond.
Add to this the local and sometimes parochial confu-
sion about the demise and current state of the old Bijou,
and the Art House — despite the brains, passion and
legacy behind its revitalization — can be fighting a sort
of tabula rasa situation, inventing itself anew against a
slew of entrenched expectations. In short, news of the
theater’s death has been greatly exaggerated, and in fact
the current crew is doing everything it can to bring the
moviehouse thriving into this strange new world.
“While the timing is not ideal… attendance for indie
theaters has only rebounded to about 60 percent of what
it was pre-pandemic… there was never any question about
whether we needed to step up and rescue the theater,”
Thomas says.
“Things are getting better, but slowly,” says Schiessl,
who points out that the Broadway Metro itself survived
the downturn with a series of emergency grants and loans
as well as “side hustles” like home delivery, Blu-ray rentals
and private screenings during the pandemic shutdown.
“It’s going to take a long time to really see what the per-
manent fallout on indie theaters is post-pandemic, but for
now we can see that there’s very little audience support
for the kind of indie and art-house programming that
historically sustained theaters like the Bijou.”
As with many businesses rocked by the economic and
social disruptions of the coronavirus, the team behind
the Art House has been forced to pivot, and is still in the
process of doing so. While maintaining a traditional line-
up of indie, repertory and foreign films, along with some
first-run hits, Schiessl landed upon the idea of funding
dedicated film series — sort of mini film fests — through
Kickstarter campaigns. Already the Art House has fea-
tured career retrospectives from David Lynch and the
Italian master Federico Fellini.
logo. “Having invested so much of our lives into the Bijou,
it really felt like our responsibility as its former stewards
to step in and save it, again.”
Louise Thomas is the Art House’s promotional director.
Like Schiessl, she has a long association with the theater,
having been instrumental in the running of the original
Bijou; in fact, she was already there, working behind the
scenes (as it were) when Schiessl was brought aboard as
a teenager.
Perhaps the foremost historian of the building and the
theater’s storied existence, Thomas also says she felt a
strong sense of duty in making sure the place survived as a
cultural entity. “Since its shutdown during the quarantine,”
she says, “those of us who have long been associated with
the Bijou have been beset by questions about its ultimate
disposition. Certainly this suggests that there is a Bijou-
shaped hole in Eugene’s cultural landscape.”
Thomas explains that the building’s owner, Jan Rush,
reached out last year in order to let her and Schiessl know
that the previous owners had terminated their lease, and
that she, Rush, was insistent and supportive of efforts to
keep the theater going.
“She clearly understood how important the Bijou is
to the community,” Thomas says of Rush, “and that the
original Bijou folks from the ‘80s and ‘90s possess the
authentic heart, soul and vision to sustain what makes
that space unique while adapting to modern tech and
market conditions.”
As the saying goes, where there’s a will there’s a way,
but the way can be twisty, precipitous and fraught with
obstacles. In the case of the Art House, those obstacles
are significant, if not outright Sisyphean, which both
Schiessl and Thomas acknowledge. Not only is there the
notorious and industry-wide shrinkage of moviegoing
audiences thanks to the pandemic and its slow, halting
recovery, but there have been tectonic changes in the
economics and distribution within the movie industry
FOLK SINGER-SONGWRITER JAMIE DRAKE
PERFORMING AT THE ART HOUSE
“In both cases,” Schiesslsays, “supporters pledged
enough tickets to fund out-of-pocket costs of the series up
front. The crowdfunding model has been an inspiration in
many ways. It acts not only as a positive feedback loop for
our programming, but also as a community builder… It’s
a unique opportunity, in that we can float some unusual
ideas and know if the community is on board without
taking a huge financial risk.”
Such community engagement, Schiessl says, is crucial
not only in getting people back to the movies but in po-
sitioning the space itself as a cultural hub, which is a big
part of his focus. On that front, the Art House has already
hosted live music in its larger auditorium. The idea is to
foster a sense that the theater is something of an artistic
hub, where folks can see anything from concerts and live
broadcast of the National Theater and Met Opera, to art
exhibitions on screen and literary readings.
“At this moment,” Schiessl says, “I’m pretty focused on
keeping a lively film schedule and ramping up live music
and community events. But on a long enough timeline,
I’d like to make this a place where cinephiles and other
artists and aesthetes come for an espresso or a beer, even
when they’re not seeing a show.”
In this regard, the building itself, preserved but im-
proved, is perhaps its own best advertisement and incen-
tive to explore new possibilities. “The Wilcox building is a
really unique and beautiful venue,” Thomas says, “but it’s
always had a lot of unrealized potential. It’s our intention
to invite the community back into a reinvented space with
a much broader scope of opportunities and events than
have been possible before.
“Things were in rough shape when we took posses-
sion of the space last winter,” she continues, “but after
several months of cleaning and repairs, it’s never felt
more inviting.” ■
Eugene Art House is at 492 E 13th Avenue. For further information and
events, visit EugeneArtHouse.com.
THE WARPAINT VIDEO FOR “STEVIE”
FEATURING BAND MEMBER EMILY KOKAL,
WAS SHOT IN ART HOUSE’S AUDITORIUM ONE
BY THEATER MANAGER ED SCHIESSL
Photo by Nicole Surber
Film still from “Stevie” courtesy Emily Kokal
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