Leeds Heritage Theatres has announced the reopening of City Varieties Music Hall. Audiences will be welcomed back to a new film programme on 9 October, which will be presented in collaboration with Hyde Park Picture House.
This will be the first time the doors have been opened since 17 March, and screenings are part of the Picture House’s On The Road programme. Here are some of the highlights:
- BFI London Film Festival Previews of Mogul Mowgli and Ammonite presented in partnership with Leeds International Film Festival
- Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint, in partnership with Birds Eye View, backed by the BFI
- A pre-recorded screening of Conor McPherson’s adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya
- Cult classic, Withnail and I
- Family and Hyde Park Christmas favourite, It’s a Wonderful Life
Wendy Cook, Head of Cinema: “The cinema’s On the Road programme was always envisioned as being a way of taking the Picture House’s programme into different spaces so we’re really excited to be working in the City Varieties. After six months away, it’s lovely to be finding our feet again in the comfort of family.”
Chris Blythe, CEO: “The decision to reopen has not been an easy one, especially in light of the most recent guidance regarding local restrictions. However, we have long had a date in mind for reopening and I am confident that we have the most stringent COVID-safety measures in place to provide a safe and comfortable environment for visitors to enjoy film and staff to work.
The team and I have discussed at length the implications of reopening; it is well documented that the arts is suffering country-wide, but essentially it comes down to a commitment and duty of care to our visitors, staff and young people involved with our Learning Programme. As well as trying to return to some normality for business continuity and financial reasons (we are still waiting to hear if we have been successful in our bid for emergency funding from the government), arts and culture are needed now more than ever to help boost people’s mental health and build community through shared experience, as we all try to find some escapism from our day-to-day and ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19.”
Tickets for all screenings go on sale today (Wednesday 30 September 2020) here. Information about Hyde Park Picture Houses’s On The Road programme can be found here.
Photographs provided by Leeds Heritage Theatres.
