Belfast’s iconic Colonial Theatre is scheduled to reopen in November under the stewardship of a new nonprofit.
Hawthorne Theatre & Arts Collaborative, named for Hawthorne the elephant that stands on the roof of the art deco theater, will take ownership of the theater this month and is planning to reopen the historic venue on November 4.
After operating for more than 100 years, the Colonial closed in September 2022 when owners Mike Hurley and Therese Bagnardi retired. At the time, it was one of the few remaining small commercial movie houses in the state.
Similar venues in the midcoast, including the Strand in Rockland, the Grand in Ellsworth and the Alamo in Bucksport are run as nonprofits.
The Colonial had been for sale since 2015. Earlier this year, a group called Save Our Colonial Theatre formed to reopen the theater.
The Republican Journal reported that the sale of the theater, facilitated by Bill and Libby Catania, who operate Limina Renewal Center, a spiritual retreat in Searsport, is expected sometime this week, at which point the Hawthorne Theatre & Arts Collaborative will take over operations.
In a page on the Colonial’s website, the Hawthorne Collaborative says the reopened theater will have new and old movies, live music, readings, stand-up, classes and party rentals — “everything you used to get from the Colonial, with the addition of so much more.”
For the month of October, the Hawthorne Collaborative is matching donations with funding from an anonymous donor who put up $50,000 for the challenge.