The Broad Theater in Souderton reopened on November 27. There have been many changes and renovations to bring a new touch to the 100-year-old theater.
The newly renovated Broad Theater has three theaters. They have two larger theaters downstairs and a smaller theater upstairs. This means they can show three movies at a time, where before they could only show one. The theater offers 7.1 surround sound audio system and stadium seating. They also added comfy seating and soundproof walls.
Theater manager Angela Penny Lane says that there’s a variety of movies being shown at the theater.
“We’re going to have new movies and old movies, so hopefully young people and old people will all enjoy something here,” Lane said.
Lane said the week of opening was very busy. There was a lot of work to do before opening day. The theater had to hire all the staff, train everybody, set up the computer systems, and more.
Manager Jesse Brinkman said that it was “kind of a blur,” but he and Lane “lived at the theater that week.”
“Opening during the pandemic was as smooth as it could’ve gone,” Brinkman said.
According to Lane, when the theater finally opened, it had a great response from the community, and everybody was excited to be able to go see movies there.
The Broad Theater has been a long-standing fixture of the community, having been around since 1922. According to Lane and Brinkman, people have made a lot of memories at the theater over the years.
“Each generation that went to the theater has an experience that they can share about it,” Brinkman said.
Long term Souderton resident Paul Cramer remembers his experience in the old theater.
“I don’t remember a whole lot about it other than we watched a movie. I actually saw “Titanic” there. That’s how long ago it was,” Cramer said.
Dwayne’s Hair Designs owner Dwyane Ryanford is hopeful the theater will affect local businesses like his. Ryanford hopes the theater will bring in more customers.
“I’m hoping there will be more walk-ins and people just finding us,” Ryanford said.
Modern Male Barber Shop employee Suan Parra thinks that because the theater has “already built their name and their establishment,” that there will be a lot more people on Broad Street.
“I always like to support local businesses and bring more people to the community and support anyone that’s from the area,” Parra said.
Souderton resident Armani Moore thinks the theater will have a positive impact on local restaurants.
“I know there’s a lot of restaurants on Broad Street, so people will want to do dinner and a movie, and because of the location, it will also bring business to the other restaurants in the area,” Moore said.
According to Souderton resident Nicole Tolbert, families should go to the theater to try something new and “broaden their own horizons.” She also thinks it would be great for people to see the hard work that’s been put into it. Tolbert is most excited to see the chain reaction of people telling each other about their experience at the theater. Tolbert sees only positivity regarding the theater.
“I just think that the fact that they’re taking the time out to upgrade [the theater] and bring more traffic flow to it and to see it in a much more beautified I guess you would say kind of way, nothing else than positivity can come from it,” Tolbert said.
What makes the Broad Theater unique is the local aspect of it. The theater will be pairing with local business Broad Street Pizza, so people can go straight to get pizza before or after their movie. They will also be pairing with Free Will Brewery, so the over 21 crowd can enjoy in-theater adult beverages.
“I think it’s going to be kind of a great one-stop hangout spot. So you can go get your slice of pizza, your beer when you’re older, see a movie, and hang out,” Lane said.
Another thing that makes the theater unique is the affordable pricing. According to Brinkman, the owners do not want customers paying “a meal price for a bucket of popcorn.”
“We try to keep it as affordable as possible,” Brinkman said. The thing that makes the theater stand out from other theaters the most is that it is the “classic movie-going experience.”