Little Theatre
The Little Theatre Interior, Little 2 in the back, 2-2008 Back lobby for theaters 2 thru 5, 12-2008 The Little Theatre (sometimes referred to as The Little Theater), located in the East End, is Rochester's best known (and many say best loved) venue for independent and art house movies, live music and art exhibits. The original Little Theatre (Little #1) was the fifth cinema created in a small chain during the "little cinema movement," which was dedicated to showing "art films that appeal to the intelligent and sophisticated" in the 1920's. These theaters were built in response to the mass merchandising and the construction of huge 'movie palaces', which became popular in the 1920's. In May 1982, William Coppard and John and Pam Blanpied bought the Little in order to refurbish it and bring it back to its former Art Deco glory. By 1996, the Little had grown to a complex of five theaters. The original Little faces East Avenue. The remaining four theaters are housed in a complex facing Winthrop Street immediately behind the original theater. In 1999, The Little was granted 501(c)3 status as a not-for-profit organization under the name of The Little Theatre Film Society, Inc. A large part of the theatre's financial support comes from memberships, grants and donations. On December 19, 2011, it was announced that The Little would be merging with WXXI. The theaters offer popcorn with real butter and treats from the Little Cafe. The cafe is housed in same building as the newer theaters, and presents live music, ranging from jazz to acoustic, five nights a week. The cafe is also home to monthly art exhibits showcasing some of Rochester's finest local artists. Admittance for music and art is generally free of charge. They also offer fresh baked goods, coffee and Snapple. It provides a relaxed atmosphere and can be a nice "date night" for an alternative to the mall cinemas. The Little has been voted Rochester's BEST MOVIE THEATRE multiple times in City Newspaper's BEST OF ROCHESTER poll, as well as BEST PLACE FOR A FIRST DATE. In the past The Little has run The Preferred Care Little Buddies Series, which offered a family friendly film and pre-show fun and educational event. It also has presented the Emerging Filmakers Series, a collection of short films by local and statewide filmmakers. There also have been series focused on documentaries. In recent years the Little #1 has been a venue for the Rochester International Jazz Festival. Recently the theatre has been showing classic films in 35mm once a month as part of it's Saturday Night Rewind series. The theatre is also a host venue for many community film festivals including The Rochester High Falls International Film Festival, ImageOut, The Rochester Jewish Film Festival, the Polish Film Festival and the Dance on Camera Film Festival, as well as their own Little Foreign Film Festival. Limited parking is available at the Winthrop Street location. Free parking is also available at a nearby parking lot. The East End Garage is not far away. Zagster has a station across the street Awards Voted "Best Cheap Night Out" by City Newspaper's 'Best of Rochester' Awards in 2015.1 Voted "Best Movie Theater" in the 2002 'Best of Greater Rochester' poll in City Newspaper.2 Voted "Best Place for a First Date" in City Newspaper's 'Best Of' Awards in 2008, and "Best Movie Theater" in 2008 and 2009.34 1http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/best-of-rochester-2015-nightlife/Content? oid=26625822http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/archives/2002/11/The-Best-of-Greater-Rochester-2002/3http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/entertainment/guides/2008/11/BEST-OF-ROCHESTER-2008-Readers-choice/4http://rochestercitynewspaper.com/entertainment/guides/2009/11/BEST-OF-09-Arts-Entertainment/