Under a new 10-year partnership agreement with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, nonprofit Lighthouse International renovated the theater in its East 59th Street headquarters and reopened the screening facility on November 15. Upgraded to accommodate digital and 3-D presentations, as well as lectures and performances, the 220-seat venue, now known as the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International, will continue to host the Academy's weekly public events and also be available to outside organizations for event rental.
The overhaul of the existing Midtown space, made possible by a grant from Lighthouse International board member Charles S. Cohen and his wife, Clo, was handled by theater designer Theo Kalomirakis, president of TK Theaters, who wanted to create a flexible venue that felt more like a Broadway theater than a cinema. This meant adding a marquee to the entrance, changing the seating and carpeting, installing a computerized, color-changing lighting system, and modernizing the overall look. Kalomirakis also approached the design with an eye to acoustics, equipping the site with soft and hard surfaces to make it suitable for film screenings as well as panel discussions and performances.
The refurbishment also included updating the projection technology and audio system with equipment for 35mm, digital, and 3-D film, a Dolby high-definition surround sound system, assisted-listening headsets for the hearing impaired, and live descriptive listening for the vision impaired.
Like the rest of Lighthouse International's conference center, the Academy Theater is offered for events. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit's mission of fighting vision loss.