Marquis Theatre Opens in Town; Southwestern Restaurant Added

After nearly a year of renovations, Middlebury’s Marquis Theatre re-opened this Wednesday. The theater, originally built as a vaudeville house in 1939, had been closed since August 25 for renovation.
The bigger theater, which will showcase live shows every week, features an expanded stage, a state of the art sound and light system, and dance and seating sections. The new complex also features a Southwestern restaurant, headed by Ben Wells, restaurant entrepreneur and men’s rugby coach at the College and Bill Shafer.

The structural renovations are extensive, from the new southwestern color scheme to the upgraded theater.
“We made the stage bigger, and we took out the first four rows of seats, and flattened the floor,” Wells explained. “We have rows of coffee tables and couches.”
“In the couch area, we can just move the couches to the side, and then we’ve got this great dance floor. Professional surroundsound, professional quality lights and lasers – so we’ll be able to do light shows – so it’s going to be a pretty great place to watch a show.”

Perhaps the biggest change to the venue is the addition of a new southwestern style restaurant managed by Wells.
“I had managed a Southwestern restuarant in Boulder, CO, and loved the food,” Wells said. “When I moved here, it was pretty obvious when the old Mexican restaurant closed that everyone has been clamouring for Mexican style food.”

Wells was happy about the first few days of operation.
“Today is our first lunch,” he explained on Tuesday. “We opened last night for dinner but we didn’t really advertise it, so it was quiet. We’re getting the word out today. So far, we’re getting great feedback on the food.”

The menu, already posted on the theater’s website, offers myriad Mexican finger foods. For example, the ‘nachos libre’ include corn tortilla chips, cheddar & jack, onions, peppers, black beans, and guacamole.
All of the food at the restaurant is under 10 dollars.

“Value is really important to us,”  Wells said. “We want people to feel when they come in that not only is the food tasteful, but they’re getting great value. We want it to be affordable for students, we want it to be affordable for families.”
Wells, a father of two, knows how important value is to those living in Vermont.

“It can be pretty expensive to go out to eat, and I just wanted to make it a place that people enjoy coming to and feel like they’re getting great fresh delicious food – and also great value.
The restaurant will also serve beer to those over 21. Patrons can take their food and drinks into the movie theatre, which is either a few steps down a carpeted ramp, or up a flight of stairs.
“We have rows of couches of coffee tables and couches,” Wells explained, “and then we have these great cup holders and trays, so they can hold all your food and a bunch of drinks. [The drinks] also fit in the cup holders of the movie seats and stand up on the coffee tables.”

When asked about hosting student performers from the College, Wells was enthusiastic.
“We’d love to have whoever is interested,” Wells said. “Whoever is interested in performing down here, in doing some sort of concert or performance – or whatever the media may be – we’d love to host stuff like that.”
The Marquis hasn’t reached out to the College recently because its employees have been busy with construction. Railings still need to be sanded and certain outlets installed, but the facility is nonetheless ready for business. Wells expects his patronage to expand as the venue’s popularity rises among the community.

“In our minds, it’s really a community center,” Wells said, “so the more types of events we can host, the better.”