Brogan: Celebrating the Concord Theatre

On Wednesday, October 18, 1933, downtown Concord got a new movie theater - the Concord Theatre. The new theater brought to three the number of movie houses offering movies to the residents of Concord and environs. The Capitol on South Main Street, now the Capitol Center for the Arts, and the Star, located on Pleasant Street, had been opened for a number of years. In addition, the Palace, run by the Irwin family, played second-run features in Penacook, fo those who might have missed the films when they were first shown in Concord.

For almost 61 years, until September of 1994, the Concord, as it was referred to, showed everything from Gene Autry westerns to the Bowery Boys to artistic successes like "The Red Shoes" and "Othello" to Oscar-winning hits like "The Ten Commandments", "Rocky" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". The first James Bond film, that introduced local film fans to 007, had a hugely successful run at the theater as did a number of subsequent Bond classics.

The theater's building dated back to the mid-1800's when it was the legendary Norris Bakery. The long-closed bakery building was purchased in the early 30's by a successful Manchester contractor, Wenceslaus Cantin and his business partner. They converted it into a film house and the Cantin family operated it until the end of its film run. Cantin's eldest daughter, Theresa, only weeks away from her 20th birthday, would become the face of the theater until the last picture show. Theresa would sell tickets, do the bookkeeping, manage the staff, book the films to be shown, create the ads for the Concord Monitor, and remember a customer by name, making the experience of seeing a film there, more personal.

Theresa was assisted by her siblings. They included her sister Rena, who became a Constant via marriage, having two children. Also, there was sister Laurie and brother, Maurice. Maurice was a member of the Projectionists Union and ran the films. Laurie would later learn that trade and became a highly skilled projectionist.

As a teen, I began working at the theater in June of 1967 and remained associated with it until the last film ended. Theresa was an inspiration to me, possibly the hardest working and most dedicated individual I have ever known. She never married because the theater was her life. She would often be found, still working, at 2 AM in the morning, reconciling the box-office receipts and planning negotiations for upcoming movies.

On my first evening, I addressed her as "Miss Cantin". By the end of the weekend, she asked me to call her, "Theresa". That changed within months when she suggested I call her "TT". "That's what my close friends and family call me, and you're like family..."

Tonight, Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 7 PM, the same time the original film, "The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" started, hundreds of locals will gather at the Bank of NH Stage for a celebration of that date when the Concord first began its run. For some it will be a walk down memory lane and for others, a look back at a time when movies were truly magic.

"Moonstruck", which opened at the theater in early 1988, will be screened. When it was originally shown there, more than 14,000 tickets were sold with hundreds standing outside in-line waiting to get in, not caring about the bitter cold and wintry conditions.

There will be special guests, a new film tribute created by Jim Webber, to some of the classics that graced the silver screen during "The Concord Years". Laura Knoy, celebrated NHPR legend, will host and speak with several individuals with ties to the theater. The event is FREE because co-producer, Margaret Porter and I, wanted to make this a gift to our community as well as a tribute to not only a theater but to a woman - Theresa Cantin - who made her life about trying to provide quality entertainment to the people of Concord.

While the event is mostly sold-out, there may be some stand-by tickets available for those wanting to spend some time saluting a local legend.