Building on the Manor Theatre’s legacy
Plus: Opera Carolina postpones 'Carmen'; Charlotte Agenda founder launches financial newsletter; Arts festival returns; Greensboro man linked to Trump assassination attempt
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Q&A: Brad Ritter of the Independent Picture House says his time at Charlotte’s longtime arthouse theater made him realize the importance of community-building
For nearly two decades, the arthouse Manor Theatre was more than just a job for Brad Ritter — it was home, he says. He was hired in 1993 as a screen projectionist and eventually became general manager.
But a series of buyouts from large theater chains and a global pandemic forced the Manor Theatre to close its doors in 2020 after 73 years in business. For the first time in decades, Charlotte was without an independent cinema.
The need for an arthouse theater in the community was still there, Ritter says, so he and the nonprofit Charlotte Film Society got to work. They raised money for the Independent Picture House, which opened two years ago on Raleigh Street near NoDa.
The support has been overwhelming, Ritter says — so much so, the nonprofit is planning an expansion. The theater announced in May that it is adding a fourth theater and a large area for community events, discussions, educational programs and other artistic functions.
Ritter was the guest on a recent episode of The Charlotte Ledger Podcast, where he talked with host Steve Dunn about the founding and growth of the Independent Picture House, his journey to the independent film industry and how the Charlotte movie theater has found success in an industry dominated by large national chains. Ritter also shared his view on movies — including his contrarian take on film soundtracks and “Star Wars” composer John Williams.
The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. You can listen to the full discussion on The Charlotte Ledger Podcast.
Q. You are the executive director of the Independent Picture House, and it’s the spiritual heir of the Manor Theatre, where you started your career in independent film as a projectionist hired in 1993. You eventually rose to become the general manager of that theater. What was it like being there for so long?
It was my home. One thing I take great pride in is we had a very loyal staff. We were like a family. Starting out, it was owned by a local small theater chain called Eastern Federal, and it was a mom-and-pop-type theater chain. And I could literally get in my car, go over to East Boulevard and talk to the film buyer, talk to the president of the company, and it was really cool. That's how I fell in love with art film.
And then back in 2005, they sold the chain to Regal Entertainment Group out of Knoxville, Tenn. We were afraid of that change, but it went fine. It wasn’t the same, but I think they treated a little two-screen art house in Charlotte, North Carolina, with respect.
Then, Regal Entertainment Group got bought out by Cineworld out of the U.K., and that's when things started kind of veering off. They really didn’t care about a two-screen art house in Charlotte, and again, we had very, very loyal people coming to see movies all the time. That is what kept us motivated — the community and the support that we got from that.
Q. Well, and let it be known, if you visit the Independent Picture House today, you can have popcorn…
The very best popcorn…
Q. …in the very same popcorn maker from the Manor Theatre. This is only one of the many ways in which the DNA of the Manor Theatre runs through the Independent Picture House. There's a lens for one of the projectors that's embedded in the wall, and I'm sure there's other things, but the spirit and the mission of the Manor is part of what carries through. But at the same time, you've expanded the offering.
We do so much more than what the Manor would have done. Again, it was owned by a corporation, the second-largest theater chain. They’re asking us on Monday morning, “How much popcorn did you sell? How many tickets did you sell? Why did you issue five refunds?” And we knew opening the Independent Picture House, being a nonprofit, that priority No. 1 was to work with the community, work with other nonprofits, work with other organizations and individuals.
At the Manor, we knew there was a demand for affordable space to rent out for the local filmmakers to show their films. [Independent Picture House] dabbles in live music. We had somebody, a local musician, do an album release party where he did music videos for all the songs on it. We do host town halls and all kinds of different things, but part of it is giving back to the community. Every dollar you spend on that popcorn stays in Charlotte and goes back into the programming and running the organization.
Q. What do you think the future holds for the Independent Picture House for you?
We’re expanding. I would never have thought when we opened, two years in that we would already be looking to expand, but it just shows the support of the community.
Q. How have you done it? It looks like such a remarkable and spectacular success and the amount of funding that was required to make this happen.
Great support. When we first looked to do this project, opening the Independent Picture House, we had to blow up a lot of things: the financial model, the board. The growth, I’m humbled by how well it's done. When we first fundraised, we raised $750,000 in about a year and a half. In order to get this expansion, we’re fundraising, we’re looking at roughly $725,000 in about eight months, so it’s going extremely well. We’re at 75% of our goal.
Q. You've been in the independent film business for quite a while. I'll venture a guess that you were a film buff before that, and I wonder if there was a moment you recall a film that you watched that made you realize film was great entertainment?
It was probably back in college, around 1988. I was at school, and a bunch of college friends went to see David Cronenberg's “Dead Ringers.” And I just remember all of us just being blown away. By the time the film was over, we were literally exhausted. I believe it was a Saturday, and it was hard to get the momentum to go out that night and have a beer. That was one of the things that turned me on to film, was just how immersive you can get into a film and come away with those types of feelings.
Q. One of the things I've noticed is that a lot of the best-known composers of our time, a significant part of what they do is film soundtracks. As an example, John Williams has added immensely to an incredible number of films with his compositions, including “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones” and “Home Alone.”
I may get myself in trouble here, but I am not a big John Williams fan. I don't think it's him, but I think music can be abused in a film. I mean, I find a lot of times music tries too hard to push you in a direction it wants you to go. I think John Williams — and he collaborates a lot with Steven Spielberg — I think the music can be overdone, and I don’t like that in a soundtrack.
Q. Well, it has to serve the film, right? First of all, the guy is, love him or hate him, he's done a lot and he has a gift for a hook … A film like “Indiana Jones” with its iconic cadences would not be in service of a quiet, reflective art film, right? But in service of “Indiana Jones,” heroic and exciting, it may work better.
I think for action films that's totally fine. But, well, like in “Jaws,” for example, every time [the theme song] plays, it tells you, “Oh, here comes the shark.” It just kind of gives things away.
—
The Charlotte Ledger has a podcast, and you can listen to the full conversation about independent cinema in Charlotte
Our recent reader survey revealed that 36% of those responding didn’t know that we have a weekly podcast … so we’re telling you now!
The Charlotte Ledger Podcast features conversations on local topics including business, nonprofits, education and more. It’s available on major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
You can check out the full interview with Brad Ritter of the Independent Picture House … and about 100 other thought-provoking interviews.
This podcast episode is sponsored by HopeWay, which is delving into the topic of mental resilience with a talk Wednesday (Sept. 18) by acclaimed Olympic athlete, bestselling author and award-winning filmmaker Alexi Pappas. Details here.
Related Ledger articles:
“Independent Picture House to expand with 4th theater and new event space” (May 22)
“Behind the scenes at Charlotte's new arthouse movie theater” (Oct. 12, 2022)
Editor’s note: The Ledger is teaming up with the Independent Picture House for “The Critic’s Eye” film series featuring talkbacks with Charlotte critic Lawrence Toppman. The final film in the series is “There Will Be Blood” on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. The series is presented in partnership with the Independent Picture House, the Charlotte Ledger and CXN Advisory.
Today’s supporting sponsor is By George Communications, an award-winning public relations firm. We love shaping stories and helping our clients gain coverage in local and national news outlets. Telling your story isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s essential business strategy. What are you waiting for?
Opera Carolina delays November production of ‘Carmen’ to February, citing a ‘logistics crunch’; special concert Nov. 9 is in the works
With less than two months before “Carmen” was scheduled for a three-day engagement at the Belk Theater, Opera Carolina has postponed the production to February and plans to present a one-night special concert in November in its place.
Shanté Williams, who has served as Opera Carolina’s general director since July, told The Ledger that the move was made because of a “logistics crunch” in what she said was a busy fall season for the opera, which includes an Oct. 30 concert by famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and the annual Bella Notte fundraising gala on Nov. 16.
Williams said the opera is now planning a special concert at the Belk Theater on Nov. 9, which was scheduled to be the opening night of “Carmen.” The concert will mark the 75th anniversary of Opera Carolina, the 25th anniversary of artistic director and musical conductor Jim Meena and the 20th anniversary of Bella Notte, she said.
Williams said she couldn’t yet share details about the concert, and tickets aren’t yet for sale. (As of Sunday afternoon, tickets for “Carmen” were still available for purchase on the Blumenthal Arts ticketing website.)
It’s unusual for a production the size of a grand opera like “Carmen” to be postponed less than two months before the event.
“Carmen” will shift to the Feb. 6-9 slot that was previously slotted for “The Magic Flute,” and “The Magic Flute” will move to next year’s season, Williams said. “La Bohème,” which is the opera’s final grand performance of the season, is scheduled to go on as planned April 10-13.
Making plans for the future: Williams said it hasn’t been decided whether the reduction in Opera Carolina’s grand operas from three to two per year will be a permanent move. Grand operas can cost as much as $250,000 to $500,000, she said, because of the complexity of things like set design and costuming, the cost of bringing in top-tier soloists and the hiring of pit orchestra musicians and local singers for the ensemble.
“I think where we really are right now as an organization is really listening to the community and our patrons and saying, ‘What do you want to see from us?’ I will say, with this particular season having so many activities, it was not really a matter of, how do we tear down our grand operas, but really, how do we give enough breadth and space to what we have going on this year,” Williams said.
She said her priorities as she aims to build Opera Carolina include courting new audiences — including engaging younger people and minorities — and thinking about shifts in repertoire and types of performances.
Williams said one idea on the table is the creation of a concert series, and taking opera concerts to different spots around the region. (Opera Carolina already has programming beyond the three grand operas each year; performers do pop-up community performances, and there are family operas and a youth chorus program.)
“I’d love to see opera in the park — maybe Symphony Park (at SouthPark), or maybe Ballantyne. This concert series is not only doing the grand operas at the Belk,” Williams said, “but … let’s take opera to the park, let’s take opera to the lake, let’s take opera into churches. There are so many operas that are appropriate for those various venues.”
Like many arts organizations in Charlotte and beyond, Opera Carolina has seen funding struggles as of late.
According to Opera Carolina’s most recent tax filing for the fiscal year ending in June 2023, the organization posted a financial loss of $345,284. Williams said there have been no layoffs since Covid. —Cristina Bolling
Charlotte Agenda founder is returning to Charlotte media with a lighthearted weekly newsletter on finance
Charlotte Agenda founder Ted Williams is getting back into the local media scene.
A year and a half after leaving Charlotte Agenda’s successor company, Axios, Williams says he’s launching a weekly local newsletter focused on money and investing called Tiny Money.
“I believe people’s approach to money is changing,” Williams told The Ledger. “People are more transparent with their salary. Ways of spending money have totally changed. … I miss writing. Money feels taboo, but that is changing, and personally, I just miss weighing in on fun, positive Charlotte news.”
Williams, whose background is in digital marketing, shook up the Charlotte media scene in 2015 with the launch of Charlotte Agenda. Aimed at millennials, it provided a daily blend of blog-style hot takes mixed with food and events coverage, packaged in a slick and modern design and robust social media presence. It was backed financially by big advertisers. It later evolved to occasionally include more traditional news topics and even won a $150,000 grant from the Knight Foundation “to deliver investigative and accountability reporting.”
Williams sold Agenda to Axios in 2020 for a reported $5M and stuck with the company to help introduce similar newsletters in more than two dozen cities. He left Axios in early 2023, after Axios was sold to media giant Cox Enterprises.
‘Bullish,’ ‘half-baked’: Tiny Money is described on its website as a weekly “bite-sized newsletter breaking down Charlotte trends and headlines that impact your wallet.” It says it will include “bullish hot takes,” “personal finance confessions” and “half-baked investment ideas.” The new venture is open for advertising, has a paid job board and offers consulting services.
Williams told The Ledger he has plenty of pent-up spicy hot takes including, he says, “making a public offer to buy a legacy media asset.”
The first issue of Tiny Money is scheduled to come out Thursday. —Tony Mecia
Related Ledger articles:
“Building Charlotte Agenda” (🔒, April 7, 2021)
“Q&A: Charlotte Agenda co-founder Ted Williams on leaving Axios — and the importance of a ‘laser focus’” (🔒, March 29, 2023)
The arts are bubbling up all over town
The Charlotte International Arts Festival kicked off this weekend, with art displays, live performances and other events at various locations throughout the city. The festival, coordinated by Blumenthal Arts, runs through the end of the month. Seen here is Evanescent by Atelier Sisu on The Green uptown, described as “an immersive, light, and sound temporary environment that aims to capture the concept of ephemerality and transience in a visual form: the bubble.” The description of the work says it “encourages the audience to consider the world around them as a space of transience and fragility, like that of a bubble.” It’s made of a “color-reflecting dichroic film” that creates a variety of colors when hit by sunlight.
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
STARTING TUESDAY: “Mixed Media 101,” 6-8 p.m., Arts+ Uptown Studios, 601 E. 5th St. Learn how to create large scale works using a variety of materials including collage, paint, oil pastel and graphite in this 6-week group class for adults. This is a 6-week class that runs every Tuesday from 9/17 through 10/22. $275.
WEDNESDAY: “Unveiling Mental Resilience with Alexi Pappas,” 7 p.m., Central Piedmont Community College Parr Center New Theater, 1201 Elizabeth Ave. Join HopeWay for an inspiring evening as we delve into the depths of mental resilience with acclaimed Olympic athlete, bestselling author and award-winning filmmaker Alexi Pappas. In this thought-provoking event, she will share her personal journey, weaving tales of triumph, resilience, and self-discovery in the face of mental health challenges. $35.
STARTING THIS WEEK: “Discovering Together: Music and Art,” 9:30-11 a.m. Arts+ Community Campus, 2304 The Plaza. Create memories together as a family by learning fun songs and getting colorful and messy in this 4-week group class for children ages 3-7 and their caregivers. Four sessions available! $160 per child.
SEPT. 26: “Sustainability As a Business Development Strategy,” 5 p.m., 300 S. Brevard St., Charlotte. Join the Eastern European Business Network (EEBN) for an enlightening event focusing on the critical importance of integrating sustainability into business development plans in the U.S. Hear from expert speakers from Novant, UNC Charlotte, Green Worldwide Shipping and Wells Fargo about sustainable practices that drive business growth and attract investors. Additionally, a comprehensive overview of sustainability concepts and practices will be provided. $49.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
Man linked to Trump shooting attempt has ties to Greensboro: The man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Sunday in Florida has a criminal record in North Carolina. Records show Ryan Routh formerly lived in the Greensboro area and had a string of arrests dating to 2002, including barricading himself inside a business with a gun. Authorities in West Palm Beach say the alleged shooter was spotted at a Trump-owned golf course and had hidden an AK-47 in the bushes. The New York Times said he was a former Greensboro roofing contractor who had lined up support for Ukraine’s battle against Russia.
Police search in Asha Degree disappearance: Authorities last week spent more than 24 hours searching two properties in Cleveland County in connection with the 2000 disappearance of 9-year-old Asha Degree. A lawyer for the man who owns the property said court records “will link a person to the circumstances of Asha’s disappearance that is no longer living.” The girl’s disappearance has confounded investigators for more than two decades. (WSOC)
New dates for absentee ballots: The N.C. State Board of Elections said it will mail absentee ballots for November’s election to members of the military on Friday and to other voters beginning Sept. 24. The ballots had been delayed because of reprinting following an N.C. Supreme Court decision. (WFAE)
Home sales fall again: The number of home sales in Mecklenburg County in August fell 6% compared with a year earlier, according to new figures from Canopy Realtor Association. The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates at its meeting this week, leading to hopes that the slower-than-usual residential real estate market will perk up.
Fatal shooting at an Airbnb: Three people were shot Sunday morning, including one fatally, at a home being rented as an Airbnb on Hollow Drive, off Monroe Road in southeast Charlotte. (WSOC)
Crackdown on long hours after banking death: Bank of America has developed new tools in its time-keeping software requiring U.S.-based junior investment bankers to provide more details on the hours they are working, following the May death of a 35-year-old New York investment banker who had been working 100 hours a week at the bank. Rival JPMorgan is capping junior investment bankers’ hours at 80 a week. (Wall Street Journal)
Matthews’ police chief to depart: Matthews’ police chief has resigned after six months and will return to Illinois, citing “unforeseen personal circumstances.” (WFAE)
Loves me some internet
From X (Twitter) on Sunday, a post by Charlotte Squawks on the occasion of another Carolina Panthers blowout loss. The Los Angeles Chargers won 26-3:
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman