The sprucing up of the Balboa continues… Next week, the theater will be closed from Monday through Thursday to complete its next round of improvements.
You may remember they had a “sponsor-a-seat” promotion several months ago, where patrons could “buy” a new seat for the theater and get their name on it. Fundraising went well and with the help of funds from their partner the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation, both auditoriums at the Balboa will have brand new seats after next week. The interior of the theater will also be repainted.
In their recent newsletter, CinemaSF, who now manages the Balboa, writes that this is phase one in a 3 part renovation program for the theater. “The second phase will include a new concession stand, plus new curtaining in the auditoriums. And finally, the third phase will allow us to offer food service, beer and wine!”
The Balboa Theater will re-open on Friday, May 4 with showings of “The Avengers” and “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”. On Sunday, they’ll screen two documentaries from John Korty:
At 5pm we’ll show “John Allair Digs In” (trailer), the story of the greatest keyboard player in Marin County history, whose career has spanned from the early 60’s until now. There will be a Q&A with John Allair immediately after the show. Next up is “Miracle in a Box” (trailer), which follows a Steinway piano as it is lovingly reconstructed, brought back to life, and ultimately given away to a worthy student of the piano. There will be a Q&A with John Korty after this program.
Sarah B.