Rialto Loses Lease

Jump to Greetings!

To Our Cherished Customers

We are sad to inform you that Rialto Cinemas Lakeside has lost its lease and will be forced to find a new location after August 31. After more than 10 years in this location, the property owners decided to lease the theater to a competitor without any attempt to negotiate a new lease with the Rialto and after indicating repeatedly that no changes would be made. Owners of the property, Lynn Duggan and the Duggan Family Partnership, have leased the theater effective September 1 to Dan Tocchini's SR Entertainment Group, which runs the Airport, 3rd Street Cinemas Six and Roxy theaters.

We are actively searching for a permanent new location in Sonoma County but we plan to take the "Rialto on the Road" and present our films in different venues around the county until we settle in to a new home.

The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD and London's National Theater Live have agreed to allow the Rialto to continue this programming in an alternate Sonoma County location until we have a permanent home.

We may have lost our lease, but we haven't lost our passion to bring the best films to this community that has been so supportive of us these past 10 years. We didn't devote ten years of our lives to this to throw in the towel just because someone doesn't want to lease a building to us. Rialto Cinemas will find a new permanent home and we are confident that you, our loyal audience, will make the journey with us.

5 Ways You Can Help!

Many of our loyal customers have asked what they can do to help us. Here are some ways you can show your support of Rialto Cinemas Lakeside:

1. Please go to our web site (rialtocinemas.com) to provide us with your email address, so we can keep you posted of our future plans and special events.

2. Write letters to the Press Democrat, The Business Journal and The Bohemian in support of the Rialto.

The Press Democrat: (250 words or less)
letters@pressdemocrat.com or
Letters to the Editor
427 Mendocino Ave., P. O. Box 569
Santa Rosa, CA 95402

The Bohemian:
letters@bohemian.com or
Letters to the Editor 847 Fifth St.
Santa Rosa, CA 95404

The Business Journal: (600 words or less)
news@busjrnl.com or
Letters to the Editor
427 Mendocino Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95401

3. Contact the office of Lynn Duggan, Duggan Family Partnership, 410 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95405 and protest their decision to lease their space to SR Entertainment Group, without giving the Rialto a chance to negotiate a new lease. Let them know how much the Rialto means to you and our community and the value of having a theatre that offers an alternative to Hollywood blockbusters.

4. Come to the Rialto and bring your friends! Help us make our last months here strong. We will be open through August and hope to see you often!

5. Join Save the Rialto on Facebook!

Greetings!

Monday evening's Last Night At The Rialto party was the final night of a dream that began for me long before we first opened our doors on January 14th, 2000. These past few months have been an emotional roller coaster for all of us here at the theatre filled with both wonderful highs and tremendous sadness and outrage at what has happened not only to us but to you our loyal, devoted audience. The outpouring of support that has come for the theatre and all of us who make it happen 365 days a year has been tremendous. That so many of you have been moved by the films you have seen here and the experiences you have had has made us all appreciate the opportunity to do so all the more. At the end of the day it is all about the movies and living up to our mission of "Bringing the best films in the world to Sonoma County" everyday.

I set out to become an arthouse exhibitor because I wanted to bring the movies from beyond the mainstream to a larger audience. Nobody really knew in 1998 and 1999 when Rialto Cinemas was in the planning stages how successful a five screen year-round arthouse in Santa Rosa would be. Even we were surprised by the results. As Linda Kaichu, our wonderful accountant at Zanier Rinehart Clarke, is fond of reminding me, we hit our fourth year projections in our second year. And that is because of you, our audience, who have so embraced Rialto Cinemas. I set out to open a movie theatre and in the process of doing business with both my head and my heart fully open, created a vital cultural institution. So first and foremost, on behalf of everyone on the Rialto Cinemas team, let me say "Thank you" for your support, enthusiasm, suggestions, etc.

As many of you know, we have made an agreement with our friends at the Sixth Street Playhouse to present programming in their venue for the next year. We are excited about this opportunity to continue to bring films, special events and other signature programming such as London's National Theatre to you at the Sixth Street Playhouse. We hope that our two audiences will cross-pollinate in both directions.

I am thrilled to tell you about another community partnership we have made. Under the auspices of our friends at the Jewish Community Center, Sonoma County, The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD will be presented under the new banner JCC Presents at The Jackson Theater at Sonoma Country Day School. We are thrilled that the award-winning Met Opera Live in HD series will be able to continue to be presented here in Sonoma County and that JCC Presents has retained our services to help them continue this great series. The Jackson Theater is a beautiful venue that we are all excited to present The Met operas in.

I'd like to thank for their support and assistance in helping make Rialto on the Road possible, my friend Beth Goodman, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Center; an incredible force of energy and can-do spirit Cheryl Itamaura, Managing Director of the Sixth Street Playhouse, and a wonderful spirit Jacquie Rabinowitz, Chief Financial Officer of Sonoma Country Day School.

I'd also like to thank our special guest from Monday evening and my friend Pamela Gray, screenwriter of A Walk On The Moon, Music of the Heart, and the upcoming film Conviction, which I'm happy to announce will be showing at Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley!

I would like to thank our friends who helped us throw our "Last Night" party, Hafner Vineyard and the entire Hafner family, the incredible folks at Worth Our Weight, and our friends at Face to Face for agreeing on very short notice to help us throw a great party.

This theatre would not exist and would not have become the incredible institution it has become without the help of some people who are very dear to me. Doug Endicott and Mark Schulte at Exhibitor Support Partnership helped me learn to navigate and understand the tricky world of film distribution and exhibition and over the last ten years have become great friends. Accountant and Lawyer aren't words that really describe Linda Kaichu and Beau Simon. They too have played vital roles in helping to guide this business through sometimes rocky waters and have become dear friends in the process. Reuben Weinzveg, Padi Selwyn, Michael and Sue Burch, Neva Turer, Victor Spear and Will Kent have provided invaluable guidance and support along the way as well.

Huge thanks to Allison Palmdin for her amazing initiative in starting and maintaining the Save Rialto Cinemas FaceBook page and to everyone who signed up and posted comments in support of us. This tangible demonstration of your support is an invaluable tool in helping us secure a new lease with a landlord who will value what Rialto Cinemas can bring to their building.

One thing that everyone comments on besides the films and the popcorn when talking about Rialto Cinemas is our staff. For the past ten years I have had the privilege of employing incredible people who have embraced my sometimes wild and crazy ideas like:
Movies in the Morning - was I nuts??
Opera on the big screen - with reserved seats??
The Grease sing-along - with bubbles???
They embraced these ideas and many more with humor, grace, enthusiasm and a sense of adventure. To every one of them both past and present, I say thank you. You are a big part of what made the Rialto the unique and special welcoming place that it has been. I'd also like to recognize a handful of employees who have been with me for quite a while. Sean Marshall has been here since the spring of 2000. He started on the floor staff and is now our technical director. Chris Perkins and Jen Tobener joined us five years ago. We didn't acquire the Raven, but we got the best part of the deal when Jen came to work for us as our diva of web and graphics. Chris is godsend as our IT guy. I first met our wonderful marketing and pr director Melissa Hatheway when she was the GM of KRCB. She is a ball of unstoppable energy. Lastly, I met Mary Ann Wade my fantastic general manager when we first came to Sonoma County. She became the GM of the Rialto five years ago and is the one woman I can't live without.

Operating this theatre for the past ten years has been the most rewarding experience of my life and I thank you for that. What good is a theatre without an audience?

Movies inspire my life, so I'd like to leave with you a quote from Under the Tuscan Sun, "What are four walls, anyway? They are what they contain. The house protects the dreamer. Unthinkably good things can happen, even late in the game. It's such a surprise."

We'll see you at the movies as we take Rialto Cinemas On The Road!

Like our Facebook page here!

Best regards,