The single-screen Prytania is the oldest theater in New Orleans, clocking in at 98 years strong, but it’s not your grandma’s movieplex. The theater has a history of moving with and often surpassing the movie experience through the years. It was the first movie house in the area to convert to digital cinema and has hosted film showings for several local film festivals.
Sociology sophomore Kira Hellmers said she has made it to the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” showing every Halloween weekend for four years.
The smaller theater experience is much different, Hellmers said, and sometimes includes shadow casts performing in front of the screen.
“There’s usually more audience participation, and it’s … a more involved event than a regular movie showing,” she said.
But the Prytania Theatre has a lot more to offer than the odd Rocky Horror showing, a tradition most movie houses have embraced. From special events to over-the-top concessions, it is a one-of-a-kind experience.
Charlotte Fournier has seen a great deal of change in her two years working there. In addition to the movie basics of popcorn, candy, soda (from Mexico, with real sugar, in old-fashioned glass bottles) and the like, the Prytania opened a coffee bar in 2012.
“We can do anything from regular coffee to cappuccinos to frappés … milkshakes and smoothies. It’s a pretty nice setup,” Fournier said. Gelato is also served.
The regular crowd of customers have come to recognize Fournier— not difficult, considering the small theater only employs about 10 people at a time to work concessions, coffee bar and box office.
Matinee showings of classic movies at 10 a.m. Wednesdays and Sundays are followed by free coffee and cake in the lobby afterward for patrons, and children’s movies and specials play at 10 a.m. on Saturdays. There are also late night showings at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Recently, Fournier said, the theater started a series at 10 p.m. on Sunday nights centered on a theme or director. Right now, it focuses on Quentin Tarantino movies.
Especially popular at the theater was a recent silent movie showing with an accompanying live orchestra, which Fournier said will most likely be repeated in the future.
All of these changes have only added to the Prytania experience, but customer Jared Black thinks the theater has kept its essence after nearly a century.
“To me, it feels like the spirit of the Prytania hasn’t changed,” Black, a New Orleans native, said.
According to Black, the Prytania’s patrons are people who are passionate about film and the movie-going experience.
“You don’t really see high school kids who are more interested in their date than the movie like you do every Friday night at the megaplexes,” he said.
Black often goes to midnight showings of movies like Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic “The Room.”
His friends ask why he chooses midnight movies at the Prytania over streaming these movies online, but Black refuses to compare the experiences. He said it is like choosing between eating at a fast food or a five-star restaurant.
His first memories of the theater date from high school, when he watched films playing there for the New Orleans Film Festival. When Black was away to college in Georgia, the only options were “poorly run cineplexes.” He said the time without the Prytania gave him a stronger appreciation for it.
Tickets to a Prytania showing can be bought on location or online at theprytania.com.
“You don’t really see high-school kids who are more interested in their date than the movie like you do every Friday night at the megaplexes.”