xdpanda

he newest chapter in One other Planet Leisure’s plans to overtake the Castro Theatre contain a “motorized raked flooring” to quell opponents’ outrage about eradicating the ground seats, but opponents appear no much less outraged.

It’s now simply previous one yr to the day since we realized that the Castro Theater could be handing over administration operations to Berkeley-based live performance promoter One other Planet Leisure. And whereas One other Planet Leisure (APE) has just about taken over stated operations, they’ve made little headway in easing neighborhood outrage that they’d give brief shrift to LGBTQ+ programming. And so they’ve made zero progress in clamping down neighborhood fury over plans to take away the present seating preparations and change them with standing areas, cocktail tables, and momentary seating which can be higher fitted to stay music performances.

This Thu 1/26! Be part of us at a neighborhood assembly hosted by The Associates of the Castro Theatre Coalition https://t.co/kLXGtGGH2h through @Change cc: @SaveTheCastro — Marcia Gagliardi (@tablehopper) January 25, 2023

SFist obtained an invitation to a Thursday night time neighborhood assembly hosted by a gaggle known as Associates of Castro Theatre Coalition. Scheduled to talk at this assembly had been representatives from the Castro Theatre Conservancy (who oppose APE’s present plans), the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District (who oppose APE’s present plans), and the Associates of Harvey Milk Plaza (who oppose APE’s present plans). Notably absent from the scheduled audio system had been anybody with One other Planet Leisure, or anybody kind the Nasser household that owns the Castro Theatre.

The Bay Space firm, which operates the Fox Theater and Invoice Graham Civic Auditorium, has revised its proposal for flooring seating on the historic movie show.

Learn extra right here:https://t.co/X3TWPQw8ra — SFChronicle Datebook (@SFC_Datebook) January 27, 2023

And it’s most likely no coincidence that simply hours earlier than this neighborhood assembly of teams that oppose APE’s present plans, APE introduced a brand new seating plan, in keeping with the Chronicle. “At the moment, we put out an answer that we expect is a win-win-win.” One other Planet Leisure spokesperson David Perry advised the Chronicle. “This isn’t solely the very best, however the one method to preserve the Castro open.”

Opponents didn’t purchase this. “These are the identical plans that they tried to promote us on a yr in the past,” Castro LGBTQ Cultural District govt co-chair Stephen Torres stated at Thursday’s assembly, after the plans had been unveiled. “Nothing has modified. What they’ve modified are the adjectives that they used to explain them.”

Picture: Castro Theatre

You possibly can decide for your self how a lot has modified with APE’s description of the brand new proposed new flooring plans on the Castro Theatre’s web site. We can not embed the 70-second animated video that the proposal calls a “motorized raked flooring,” although it appears wildly high-tech. (The fact could also be extra handbook than what’s introduced within the video). However configurations can change between normal seating, standing-room solely, and tiered variations of this.

“The proposed new seating program for the orchestra degree of the Castro Theatre permits versatile reconfiguration of the venue, allowing a extra various set of programming — seated occasions and movie — on stepped tiers replicating the present sloped flooring; standing room concert events, fundraisers, seated dinners and extra,” in keeping with the proposal. “This added seating flexibility is crucial to the proposed programming.”

It’s a head-turning change for positive, and maybe an try to push again eventually week’s report within the Examiner, which ran with the headline “Does One other Planet nonetheless need the Castro Theatre?”. That report cites “rumors that [APE] misplaced curiosity.” The Bay Space Reporter describes in additional element that “homosexual activist Michael Petrelis revealed an e-mail from Mandelman’s workplace displaying that on December 13 the supervisor was focused on assembly with Alfonso Felder, an govt vice chairman of administration for the San Francisco Giants baseball membership, concerning the latter’s “curiosity within the Castro Theatre.”

These communications are seen above. Sure, Mandelman’s aide Thornhill was in contact with somebody who supplied Felder’s contact info (decrease left picture), although it doesn’t go a lot additional than that. What appears way more intriguing here’s a purported textual content between Mandelman and former Planning commissioner Dennis Richards (decrease proper picture), whereby Mandelman says, “Unsure if APE remains to be even , they’re appearing like they’re accomplished.”

Both method, APE’s new plan does create the looks they’re all in, and they’re going to current it to the Historic Preservation Fee at a February 1 assembly (a last resolution is just not anticipated at that assembly). They need historic landmark designation for the inside of the theater, but additionally the suitable to tear out the present seating preparations.

“Landmark standing of the Castro Theatre is intently associated to and could have a direct impression on the feasibilityhe newest chapter in One other Planet Leisure’s plans to overtake the Castro Theatre contain a “motorized raked flooring” to quell opponents’ outrage about eradicating the ground seats, but opponents appear no much less outraged.

It’s now simply previous one yr to the day since we realized that the Castro Theater could be handing over administration operations to Berkeley-based live performance promoter One other Planet Leisure. And whereas One other Planet Leisure (APE) has just about taken over stated operations, they’ve made little headway in easing neighborhood outrage that they’d give brief shrift to LGBTQ+ programming. And so they’ve made zero progress in clamping down neighborhood fury over plans to take away the present seating preparations and change them with standing areas, cocktail tables, and momentary seating which can be higher fitted to stay music performances.

This Thu 1/26! Be part of us at a neighborhood assembly hosted by The Associates of the Castro Theatre Coalition https://t.co/kLXGtGGH2h through @Change cc: @SaveTheCastro — Marcia Gagliardi (@tablehopper) January 25, 2023

SFist obtained an invitation to a Thursday night time neighborhood assembly hosted by a gaggle known as Associates of Castro Theatre Coalition. Scheduled to talk at this assembly had been representatives from the Castro Theatre Conservancy (who oppose APE’s present plans), the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District (who oppose APE’s present plans), and the Associates of Harvey Milk Plaza (who oppose APE’s present plans). Notably absent from the scheduled audio system had been anybody with One other Planet Leisure, or anybody kind the Nasser household that owns the Castro Theatre.

The Bay Space firm, which operates the Fox Theater and Invoice Graham Civic Auditorium, has revised its proposal for flooring seating on the historic movie show.

Learn extra right here:https://t.co/X3TWPQw8ra — SFChronicle Datebook (@SFC_Datebook) January 27, 2023

And it’s most likely no coincidence that simply hours earlier than this neighborhood assembly of teams that oppose APE’s present plans, APE introduced a brand new seating plan, in keeping with the Chronicle. “At the moment, we put out an answer that we expect is a win-win-win.” One other Planet Leisure spokesperson David Perry advised the Chronicle. “This isn’t solely the very best, however the one method to preserve the Castro open.”

Opponents didn’t purchase this. “These are the identical plans that they tried to promote us on a yr in the past,” Castro LGBTQ Cultural District govt co-chair Stephen Torres stated at Thursday’s assembly, after the plans had been unveiled. “Nothing has modified. What they’ve modified are the adjectives that they used to explain them.”

Picture: Castro Theatre

You possibly can decide for your self how a lot has modified with APE’s description of the brand new proposed new flooring plans on the Castro Theatre’s web site. We can not embed the 70-second animated video that the proposal calls a “motorized raked flooring,” although it appears wildly high-tech. (The fact could also be extra handbook than what’s introduced within the video). However configurations can change between normal seating, standing-room solely, and tiered variations of this.

“The proposed new seating program for the orchestra degree of the Castro Theatre permits versatile reconfiguration of the venue, allowing a extra various set of programming — seated occasions and movie — on stepped tiers replicating the present sloped flooring; standing room concert events, fundraisers, seated dinners and extra,” in keeping with the proposal. “This added seating flexibility is crucial to the proposed programming.”

It’s a head-turning change for positive, and maybe an try to push again eventually week’s report within the Examiner, which ran with the headline “Does One other Planet nonetheless need the Castro Theatre?”. That report cites “rumors that [APE] misplaced curiosity.” The Bay Space Reporter describes in additional element that “homosexual activist Michael Petrelis revealed an e-mail from Mandelman’s workplace displaying that on December 13 the supervisor was focused on assembly with Alfonso Felder, an govt vice chairman of administration for the San Francisco Giants baseball membership, concerning the latter’s “curiosity within the Castro Theatre.”

These communications are seen above. Sure, Mandelman’s aide Thornhill was in contact with somebody who supplied Felder’s contact info (decrease left picture), although it doesn’t go a lot additional than that. What appears way more intriguing here’s a purported textual content between Mandelman and former Planning commissioner Dennis Richards (decrease proper picture), whereby Mandelman says, “Unsure if APE remains to be even , they’re appearing like they’re accomplished.”

Both method, APE’s new plan does create the looks they’re all in, and they’re going to current it to the Historic Preservation Fee at a February 1 assembly (a last resolution is just not anticipated at that assembly). They need historic landmark designation for the inside of the theater, but additionally the suitable to tear out the present seating preparations.

“Landmark standing of the Castro Theatre is intently associated to and could have a direct impression on the feasibility