For twelve years, 1997-2009, I was the proud programmer/publicist for Speakeasy Theaters, which operated the Parkway Theater in Oakland and the Cerrito Theater in - you guessed it - El Cerrito. Though I was not one of the owners of the company, I was more or less “the front man,” and am still known as “The Parkway Guy” to many former fans who still stop me on the street, several times a week, to tell me how much they miss Speakeasy Theaters - particularly The Parkway, which closed with only four days notice on March 22, 2009. (The Cerrito followed suit two months later, without any notice whatsoever, as the company completely collapsed, but that theater reopened shortly thereafter under new management, mimicking the tried-and-true business model of beer, wine, food and sofas, which has proven popular for many years around the country, perhaps most notably the world famous Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas.) It was like the sudden cancellation of a cult television show, except there were no reruns. Until now.
Ironically, The Parkway went dark on William Shatner’s birthday. So here’s a geeky allegory to help simplify the big breaking news out of Oakland: if I was indeed, at least in the public’s eyes, the Bizarro doppelganger of “Captain James T. Kirk” (I even hosted an annual film tribute to William Shatner called “Shatfest,” which lives on at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda), then meet the contextual equivalent of “Jean Luc-Picard,” the “captain” of the latest “enterprise,” now known as “The New Parkway,” which vows to carry on the same mission of a community-oriented, multi-cultural nexus, something sorely missed by its former legions of loyal patrons. The Parkway’s savior is really called J. Moses Ceaser (which I realize still sounds like a badass fictional moniker), soon to be a household name around the Bay Area and beyond, if it isn’t already. Following many months of failed attempts to reopen Oakland’s beloved Parkway - heroic efforts spearheaded by Moses as well as many others, a few which I myself was peripherally involved with - the ink is still wet on a lease he just signed for a vacant, nondescript warehouse in Oakland’s swingin’ Uptown District, where the Oakland Art Murmur’s “First Fridays” is abetting the urban center’s miraculous revival, replete with first class restaurants and bars, the restored Fox Theater, and other unique, funky, and cosmopolitan venues. The New Parkway will not only be in good company, but may well serve as the anchor for the resurgent neighborhood, in much the same way the original Parkway proved to be an economic boon to its somewhat blighted environs. The original Parkway was a veritable institution, as evidenced by the lingering, intense nostalgia, and its rebirth, at least in spirit, sometime this summer or early fall is a cause for regional celebration.
In this brief interview, “Kirk” officially passes the torch to “Picard”:
What traditions will The New Parkway carry over from the original?
JMC: This is not a complete list but the keepers that jump out at me are 2 for 1 Wednesdays, Baby Brigade, Rocky Horror, nonprofit benefits, and TV on the big screen nights like presidential debates, Super Bowl, the Oscars. And of course the couches, cold beer, affordable food, and cheap tickets.
How will it be different, other than the new location (24th @ Telegraph)?
JMC: Obviously, the feel of the place will be different since this space was formerly a glass factory. The screening rooms will be smaller and likely more intimate, and we're hoping to do one as a more traditional arena-style theater and a second one more like a cabaret theater. We're hoping to address the five most common criticisms of the old place: average food, slow delivery of food, dirty couches, bad restrooms, and sometimes dour staff, which all seem doable.
What inspired you to champion this cause on behalf of the mournful patrons?
JMC: Like tens of thousands of folks in the Bay Area, I loved the Parkway. I loved going there. I loved taking friends there. I loved that it stood for community and kitsch. And like so many others, I was super saddened (like Super Sized sadness) when it closed, and haven't been to many movies since. Many times when I was there, I would think to myself, 'this place is brilliant--why didn't I think of this?' Or 'wouldn't this be a great place to run?' Thus, when it closed, the wheels started turning in my head. And after a year of the theater being empty, I decided to do a little research and find out if reopening it was viable. It's been a labor of love since then.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of basically starting over from scratch?
JMC: With a theater business that runs close to 365 days a year, it's very hard to find time to fix things up or correct course. For this reason, had the Parkway not closed, it would have been very difficult to have ever replaced the bathrooms, upgrade the kitchen, create a lobby, or have ADA access to the second floor. But we can do all those things. So we have the benefit of being able to step back from what was happening at 1834 Park, try to replicate the good and get a do-over on the bad. This, of course, all comes at a huge financial cost since starting over is much more expensive than if we had been able to just take over from the Fischers (Speakeasy Theaters founders Kyle and Catherine Fischer). And with all the time that it's taken to get the lease, I hope that we've learned a few things along the way. We'll definitely screw some things up, but probably in unique ways from what came before us.
What are your plans for programming in this digital era of downloads and file sharing?
JMC: Much of the programming will be similar to the old Parkway: 80-90% second run Hollywood and 10-20% repertory and special events. Some of the special events will include a Saturday lunchtime Kids Day perhaps with Pixar films, a Sports Sunday where we show football, soccer and other sports on the big screen, and a YouChoose YouTube night where patrons vote for what they'd like to see during a 90 minute curated event. We'll also have some cult classics, big broadcast TV events, and the occasional sing-along, all in addition to things mentioned in previous questions. As for the competition from On Demand and file sharing, I'm not too concerned. The fact is that most Parkway patrons, and certainly the regulars, came less for the movies and more for what they got at the Parkway that they couldn't get anywhere else: the couches, the food and drink, the sense of community. Don't get me wrong, the programming is critically important, but people will have a unique experience at the New Parkway that they can't have anywhere else. And that's what will keep them coming back.
Cheers and congrats, New Parkway Guy!
Will “the Thrill” Viharo is a pulp fiction author, B Movie impresario, and former programmer/publicist for the Parkway Speakeasy Theater.
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