Wealthy Theatre: A brief history
Updated: 2/17/18, 1:41 p.m. Correction: Tom Schwallie is the recently-former front of house manager. Former theater director Erin Wilson and film maker Sean Kinney were instrumental in the creation and establishing of the Meanwhile Film Series.
Wealthy Theatre’s rich history and community-focused programming make it a valuable meeting place for Grand Rapids residents.
The theater first opened its doors in 1911 as the Pastime Vaudette. It was initially used for vaudeville and live theater, and later became a neighborhood movie house. During World War I, the theater was used as a warehouse for the Michigan Aircraft Company.
It reopened after World War I with a new name: Wealthy Theatre. In the 1960s, the theater was known for showing foreign films. However, Wealthy Theatre closed in the late-1970s, and stood empty and rotting for more than 25 years.
In the 1990s, Wealthy Theatre was named a historic building, and the South East Economic Development neighborhood association started a campaign to fund its restoration. It reopened in 1998 as a community arts center.
Wealthy Theatre ran into financial difficulties in 2004, and the Board of Directors began looking for a nonprofit willing to take over the theater. The Community Media Center, or CMC, was chosen, and runs the theater to this day.
The CMC’s mission statement is, “Building community through media.” According to Tom Schwallie, Wealthy Theatre’s former and long-time front-of-house manager and curator of the Meanwhile Film Series, the CMC carries out this goal by making the theater available as a resource. If someone has a CMC membership, that person can run programming at the theater for a reasonable fee. As such, much of Wealthy Theatre’s programming is drawn from the community.
Wealthy Theatre’s most well-known programming might be the Meanwhile Film Series. It is sponsored by the Meanwhile Bar, which is owned by siblings Jeff and Tami Vandenberg. With the help of former theater director Erin Wilson and Vandenberg’s interest in film, the idea for the Meanwhile Film Series was spawned.
Each Tuesday, a different cult classic from the 70s, 80s, or 90s is shown at Wealthy Theater. In the beginning, Jeff Vandenberg and Schwallie worked collaboratively to pick films they wanted to spotlight.
The Meanwhile Film Series was born out of a deep love for movies, so the showings have a unique atmosphere. Audience members at these showings are not expected to sit quietly as they watch the film.
People cheer and laugh at appropriate times, creating a sense of camaraderie.
This past season’s highlights included a laugh-filled screening of “Army of Darkness,” complete with prideful cheers at the film’s mention of Grand Rapids.
Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room” attracted a rambunctious audience, quoting lines and throwing plastic spoons at the screen. “The Room” became a cult classic for being a notoriously bad film, so live screenings come with unofficial interactive rules, such as the aforementioned throwing of spoons at the screen whenever a framed photo of a spoon is shown. The Grand Rapids audience enthusiastically participated in these traditions, creating a friendly, if not a bit silly, atmosphere.
The Wealthy Theatre has a rich history and continues to support the community as a place for people to come together and bond over their passion for film.
Tom Schwallie • Feb 17, 2018 at 11:01 am
I just wanted to point out that several other people were instrumental in the creation of the Tuesday film series. Former Theatre Director Erin Wilson played a larger role that myself in the creation of the series. Also important was local film maker and theatre volunteer Sean Kinny who did much of the leg work of contacting and setting up relationships with the various film distributors.