Old-fashioned theater still alive in West Liberty February 26, 2001 BY ADAM KEMPENAAR Before throwing down your hard-earned cash to see a movie in one of Iowa City's three multiplexes, you might consider making the 20-mile trip to the New Strand Theatre in West Liberty. With its classic-style marquis, hardwood floors and incomparably cheap ticket prices -- all movies cost a mere $2.50 -- the New Strand is an anachronism -- a throwback to a bygone era. Built in 1910, the theater was originally a showcase for vaudeville performances before projecting movies in the 1930s. "I wasn't looking for it, but I fell in love with it," said owner and UI alumnus Todd Leach, 30. Leach was actually hunting for a house four and a half years ago when an ad for the New Strand Theatre caught his eye, he said. "I was a film major at Iowa," he said. "So I've always been interested in movies." While Leach handles the day-to-day business of the theater and projects the films, running West Liberty's only movie house is a family affair. The staff consists of his mom, dad and sister, all of whom help sell tickets and concessions. Such support is fitting considering the New Strand's typical audience. "I definitely have to select movies for this audience (in West Liberty)," Leach said, "which are usually movies families can go to. Disney movies are always big hits." Despite being located in a small town -- West Liberty is home to about 3,000 residents -- the New Strand still manages to show many current hit movies. The Mel Gibson comedy What Women Want ends its run tonight. Cast Away, which has already grossed more than $220 million at the box office, is set to open this Friday. Sellouts at the 270-seat theater are infrequent -- the last was with Titanic. Toy Story 2 came close. But Leach said he almost always draws a good crowd. In fact, he is starting to see more customers traveling from towns outside of West Liberty, such as Iowa City and Muscatine, to appreciate the quaint comforts of the New Strand. "My husband and I have been there five or six times," said Reneé Beasley Jones, a UI graduate student who lives in Muscatine. "We love the atmosphere." One of Beasley Jones' favorite features is the heat register located on the floor in the middle of the theater. "We love to sit by it in the winter time," she explained. The register doesn't just keep the customers warm; Leach also uses it to warm butter before the movie starts. Beasley Jones said she enjoys seeing movies at the New Strand because "it's a really different movie-going experience and it's so cheap." In Dec. 1999, the nonprofit group Global Volunteers initiated a plan to renovate the New Strand. The group worked with West Liberty residents and other Iowans, including Gov. Tom Vilsack and his wife, Christie, on a variety of projects to restore the theater. The volunteers painted walls, reupholstered seats and reinforced the stage in front of the movie screen so it could be used for live theater performances, just as it was during its vaudeville days. The first live performance on the new stage was a puppet show by the West Liberty-based Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre on Jan. 22, 2000. Leach said Eulenspiegel has been the primary user of the stage with performances every few months. Movies run Friday through Monday at the New Strand. During the week, Leach works as an audio-visual technician for the Iowa City Public Library. He hopes to eventually make the theater his full-time job. "We've expanded our business base each year," Leach said, "and I definitely expect to show movies seven days a week sometime in the future." He said the secret to the New Strand's success is a mixture of "good prices, good presentation and a nice atmosphere." "I like seeing people enjoy their theater experience. It's what keeps me going." E-mail CinemaScoped at: cinemascoped@sbcglobal.net

CinemaScoped Reviews Articles Essays Bio