Great Art Wednesday, the Town Hall Theater’s (THT) monthly film series on art and architecture, has returned for the November–May season.
The films are shown on either the second or third Wednesday of the month at 11 a.m. in the main theater. With a new sound system in place and a large screen to show the films, the theater provides art-enthralled viewers with a movie theater-like experience.
Executive Director of THT Lisa Mitchell spoke about the theater’s reasons for hosting the series.
“The genesis of it was the thought that we have audiences who love the arts beyond theater. And also we have daytime periods where we don't really have anything going on, so how could we create a series that happens in the daytime that becomes this community event around the arts?” Mitchell said in an interview with The Campus.
The 2024–25 season of Great Art Wednesday will look different from in previous years. While in the past, the films were typically only about fine artists, they will now also center architects.
Mitchell said that the theater decided to expand to films about architecture for two reasons: They have exhausted the catalog of visual art films from “Exhibition On Screen,” a series by the London-based company Seven Art Productions from which they have been drawing films, and are inspired by the ongoing expansion project at the theater.
Mitchell, who has worked at the theater for five years, manages both the business team and develops programming. She selects the films for Great Art Wednesday, playing an important role in shaping each program.
“We started looking at what are the most interesting and engaging architecture films in recent history and did some research on that and sort of folded those in. We tried to pick ones with, in most cases where the names of the architects are known,” Mitchell said. “It's inspired by our expansion because we've been living in this fun world of learning around architecture.”
The average Great Art Wednesday attracts an audience of around 100 people, according to Mitchell.
“People are really excited. They look forward to these films. Before the film is played, they're, you know, chatting very animatedly about what's going on,” Mitchell said.
While the series’ current audiences are mostly comprised of retirees, Mitchell said that many young professionals and other Middlebury residents have requested a second viewing of the films for those who work during the day, which would also make the events more accessible to students at the college. Mitchell hopes to add that additional screening within the next few seasons of the series.
She also wants to expand Great Art Wednesdays to include documentaries on new art mediums like photography, and to focus on one specific topic or category in a given season, such as women painters.
The expansion project at the THT — which is funded by individual donors, Middlebury College, and state grants — is well underway and expected to be completed by January. While there is already a lot more to the THT than Great Art Wednesday, the project will allow the theater to hold even more events to attract the community to the arts. The new wing will be 9,000 square feet and will be backed away from the streetscape on Merchant’s Row to ensure that it does not feel like a massive, imposing structure, according to Mitchell.
Mitchell spoke about how the project will mitigate the current challenges posed to the theater by space limitations. They currently do not have designated spaces for the 12 resident companies who regularly perform at the THT to rehearse, nor for set building, which requires the THT to close for 30% of the year. The upstairs of the new wing will be home to a studio attached to a bar and lounge, and will be available for event rentals or for performance and practice space, and will have an outdoor stage. The ground floor will be called the Center for Learning and Engagement and will hold both performing arts and non-performing arts classes for all ages every day of the week, and the basement will be home to a ‘scene shop,’ where sets can be built.
“We're kind of growing from a local theater to a regional performing arts center,” Mitchell said.
She described Great Art Wednesday in particular as a chance to engage with the arts, noting that art is most powerful when it is made accessible.
“When people leave, they don't just leave,” Mitchell said. “They actually mill about quite a lot. They'll, if the weather is not great, they will hang out in the lobby for a while and talk about the film and talk about what's going on.”
