Since the pandemic success of COVVI-19 in 2020, the 3BELOW theaters of San Jose have repeatedly pivoted in the hope of attracting the public to the city center.
The partners of Mari and wife Scott and Shannon Guggenheim organized outdoor films on their parking roof, produced a live theater season, tried to compete with the great multiplexes on superproductions, pushed smaller independent films privileged with Oscars and the Hollywood classics programmed. They even launched a subscription style membership program.
These efforts have managed to maintain 3below alive, but none of this brought the public to pre-pale levels. The Guggenheims hope that their new initiative, “The Big Screen Project”, gives people a reason to get out of the house and return to the theater. For the rest of the year, 3Below suspended live theatrical productions and will rather offer a smorgasbord of more than 200 films and events divided into 18 entertaining and stimulating series.
“The goal is to give people a shared space where they can enjoy something together, laugh or cry or be moved,” said 3below co-creative director Scott Guggenheim. “But you need the public to be together to get there.”
The project will be launched on June 11 with an opening evening projection of “Summer of Soul”, documentary in 2021 of Questlove on the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969. Of course, there will always be Singalongs for favorites like “Grease” and “The Sound of Music” – it’s 3Below, after all – and Classics anniversary exhibitions like “The Empire Street Back” “Sunset” without cause. “”
But programming also includes films on food and sports, documentaries on art, music and social justice. The series “Reel Pride” presents Queer cinema, while “Synthetic Cinema” highlights films on the interaction of robots and humanity like “AI” by Steven Spielberg and “Metropolis” by Fritz Lang. And they associate with local organizations and people wherever they can to provide a context to the films presented – whether it is the space program or Miles Davis.
You can get full programming and tickets to 3Belowtheareters.com/the-big-creen-project.
Art for a cause: It is far from unusual to see an art exhibition in downtown San Jose, but the one that takes place in San Jose Open on Saturday is quite special. Indeed, “the house is the place where art is” is a showcase of 100 works of art – paintings, collages and printed – created by 45 residents during artistic workshops offered by Home Inhirst on four housing sites.
Two professional artists have served as instructors to residents when they explore their creativity and work with each other – while trying to find permanent accommodation.
Jennifer Kopp, one of the featured artists, is a customer of the house who was on the street for a year before moving to an emergency interim housing site. She cultivated herbs and vegetables in the garden of her accommodation site but had not explored painting before the eight -week workshop. Three of his pieces will be exhibited during the Saturday event.
The showcase takes place from 4.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Open San Jose, 38 S. Second St., with remarks from the CEO of Homefirst René Ramirez, the art instructor Rayos Magos and Kopp. Everything will be to offer, and sales will directly support participating artists. You can get more information and RSVP at the free event at www.homefirsstScc.org/home-is-Where-he-art-is.
REMINDER: The “España” representation of Sunday at California Theater was not only the last show of the Symphony San Jose season, it was the last show for Nick Nichols, who retired as director of operations of the Symphony – capping a long career with several theater companies of South Bay. Nichols played management positions with the San Jose Rep and Tabard Theater, as well as for the Ballet San Jose and the Civic Light Opera.
Nichols was responsible for ensuring that the symphony concerts took place gently, in terms of production, and who understood to work with visiting artists like guitarist Rafael Aguirre. After interpreting “Concerto by Aranjuez” by Joaquin Rodrigo to a long public ovation, Aguirre returned to a reminder of “Gabriel’s Oboe” by Ennio Morricone, which he dedicated to Nichols. Well done!
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