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MHCA announces... The return of cinema in Dover!

Dear members, patrons, and visitors, On August 22, 2012, MHCA purchased the former Mountain Park Cinema in Dover, Vermont. Expecting to be open for the late December 2012 holiday season, the organization made some repairs and had the theatre professionally cleaned. Obtaining a digital projector to show films, however, proved to be a daunting task, as MHCA needed to have been on a consignment list that closed March 31, 2012. There simply weren’t any projectors to be had until April of 2013. As it turns out, many more items needed repair than was initially thought. Freezing pipes, failing HVAC units and leaks kept us busy the winter of 2013. In applying for a Vermont Arts Council grant to help purchase the projector, a grant we did not receive, the delivery of the projector was delayed, per grant requirements, until early September, 2013. MHCA proudly participated in the ITVFest at the end of September and then closed the theatre to prepare for running first-run films. With an illness taking a severe toll on the managing director and the process of applying for the rights to show movies from the studios taking much longer than ever conceived, MHCA has finally arrived at its goal… returning cinema to the valley. Please visit NOW PLAYING and COMING ATTRACTIONS.

The full vision, however, is to transform the present three-theatre cinema complex into an arts center, complete with a stage, seating for 250 - 274 on a flat floor with risers and raked balcony, and a performer support area with storage. The renovation will result in approximately 4000 square feet of flat space, including the stage, for exhibits, dances, etc., and MHCA will once again be able to present plays, concerts, and artistic exhibits, as it has in the past – now with the addition of cinema. Click HERE for the preliminary designer renditions of this new performance space. In February of 2014, a donor offered to make a very sizable donation ($350,000) towards the conversion. The offer was contingent on the community’s resolve to pay down the $60,000+ debt associated with the digital projector within a year. Please see PROJECTOR FUND for details on how you may help MHCA fulfill this goal.

With your help, along with grants and loans, the vision will blossom from dream to reality.

Until this conversion, MHCA will continue to present concert and theatre events (please see LIVE PERFORMANCES), primarily during the summer and fall, in its new home or in suitable venues throughout the Valley. Cinema will be presented at its new home throughout the year.

As always, your patronage and support are highly valued.

The Board of MHCA

P.S. To satisfy a lease promise, the organization is temporarily using the acronym of our legal name. This will change. But, whether acronym or under a new name, you know who we are... we're the same 501 (c) (3) that has brought you productions that we hope made you laugh, applaud, shout with joy, reprise your youth, or just smile... for the past 17 years.

Download Contribution Form (PDF)

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