FRANKLIN — The Historic Artcraft Theatre is entering its 10th year since reopening, and the storied 576-seat movie house in downtown Franklin is more popular than ever.
Close to 7,000 people came to the theater for its December slate, a ticket sales record. On several weekends when films weren’t scheduled, live theater, concerts and vaudeville brought people from all over Indiana to downtown Franklin.
For all of its successes, theater operators see even more potential for growth.
“We’re going to be doing more theater, more live concerts and events,” said Rob Shilts, executive director of Franklin Heritage Inc., which owns and operates the theater. “It’s trying to fill a niche that, if folks aren’t in the mood to drive somewhere to see live shows, they can do that right here.”
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
The Artcraft prides itself on being a throwback.
Art deco neon decorates the lobby. Popcorn costs $2 a box. Each film starts with an old-fashioned cartoon or short film and a playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The theater’s movie lineup looks like a rundown of the most beloved films from the past 50 years.
The chance to catch “Lawrence of Arabia” on the big screen, showing Feb. 27 and 28, is a rarity.
“A lot of parents saw these movies when they were kids and are bringing their children to see them at the same age,” Shilts said. “We get kids, parents and grandparents all watching the movie together.”
The Artcraft was built in 1922 and served as Franklin’s main movie house for nearly eight decades.
Over time, the building fell into disrepair and closed in 2000. Franklin Heritage, a local preservationist group, bought the theater with the intention of renovating and reopening it.
When the Artcraft reopened in 2005, local officials envisioned starting a chain reaction benefiting all of downtown Franklin.
They wanted to preserve a Franklin icon. Doing so would bring people to the downtown area and help with the overall revitalization of the courthouse square.
“That’s why these theaters were built in the center of towns like this — they were the places that generated the foot traffic,” Shilts said. “When theaters were relocated to the outskirts and these small theaters closed down, a lot of downtowns died with them.”
Gradually, the theater has attracted more and more people.
When the theater reopened, capacity was at 450. During the past decade, small adjustments have increased that number.
This past year was one of major construction projects both inside and out.
The Atterbury Job Corps program helped remove close to 400 seats in the theater over the course of 19 days. Workers took out platforms that had been built under the seating to hold electrical wiring, then rebolted the seats into the concrete floor, creating more space for the audience while improving sight lines, Shilts said.
The work also allowed for the addition of 25 seats. Increasingly, every last chair has been needed.
Improvements to the stage, including light and sound systems, increased electrical capacity and a screen that could be raised and lowered, allowed for a more diverse slate of events at the theater.
Last year was the first it added traveling live events. A performance by the Glenn Miller Orchestra sold out, while almost 500 people came to see the traveling honkytonk show “Branson on the Road” in August.
With a more diverse lineup, the theater more closely resembles the all-purpose entertainment centers that stir nostalgia in older generations.
“The history of this theater and what it can offer is what captures people,” Shilts said. “You don’t see too many of these thriving and surviving. We’re a little more hometown, bringing back some of the past.”
The success of the Artcraft has attracted attention from all over Indiana.
More people are attending the theater from outside Franklin than inside, many driving more than an hour to get here.
During the theater’s Hitchcock Festival in October, people came from as far away as Pennsylvania.
“A lot of our movies are 50 percent or more new viewers. To have that many new audience members all of the time is impressive,” Shilts said.
As they analyze what worked and what can be improved for the coming years, Artcraft officials want to build on the success of 2014.
In addition to films such as “My Fair Lady” and “Sunset Boulevard,” the theater will host a selection of Heartland Film Festival movies for a “Best of the Fest” event.
Missoula Children’s Theatre will return this summer, and Shilts is lining up other traveling acts to come to Franklin.
Depending on funding and donations, work will continue on restoring and improving the theater.
“We still have a ways to go with our stage and sound and light, to get it where we want it to be,” Shilts said. “But this year proves that we’re on the right track.”
Ryan Trares is a staff writer for the Daily Journal of Johnson County, a sister newspaper to The Republic.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Upcoming Artcraft events” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Where: 57 N. Main St., Franklin
- Friday and Saturday: “My Fair Lady” starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison
- Feb. 27-28: “Lawrence of Arabia” starring Peter O’Toole and Alex Guinness
- March 13-14: “No Time for Sergeants” starring Andy Griffith and Myron McCormick
- March 27-28: “Sunset Boulevard” starring Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder
Showtimes: 2 and 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Cost: $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, college students and military with ID, $3 for children 12 and under
Information: historicartcrafttheatre.org or 317-736-6823
[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Pull Quote” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
“A lot of parents saw these movies when they were kids and are bringing their children to see them at the same age. We get kids, parents and grandparents all watching the movie together.”
Rob Shilts, executive director of Franklin Heritage Inc., which owns the Historic Artcraft Theatre in Franklin
[sc:pullout-text-end]
