'There's a nostalgia': The Garry Theatre’s silver screen set to shine again

The Garry Theatre sits vacant and shuttered on Manitoba Avenue in Selkirk. Inside, posters for movies that never got the chance to run still cling to its walls. But the silver screen is set to shine once again in the City of Selkirk.

The city has announced plans to revive the old theatre.

“The Garry Theater is really, really important for a lot of people. For people of Selkirk, often this was the first movie theater that they ever went to,” said Duane Nicol, the city’s CAO. “They have fond memories, whether they're coming here on their first date or they're coming here with their parents to see their favorite movie.”

The single-screen theatre has been a staple in the city since it opened in 1948—awing audiences with the magic of the big screen for more than 70 years.

That all came to an abrupt end when Landmark Cinemas closed The Garry in May 2021, citing the pandemic as the final straw in the theatre’s demise. The city bought the theatre shortly after it closed for $350,000 and now plans to give The Garry a second act.

“There's a nostalgia and there's a connection to it. But also, people just want to have something local,” said Nicol. “If they want to go for dinner and a movie in their own city, they want to be able to do that. And they haven't been able to for the past number of years. We want to be able to restore that.”

He said there is a long list of renovations and upgrades needed before the old theatre can reopen.

“This will be a complete gutting of the internal theater here, so all the seats coming out, repainting and redoing the floors,” he said, adding the theatre will need new electrical and heating systems along with accessibility upgrades.

The city has put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) from contractors and hopes to have the renovations started next year.

“We're really hoping to see this open in late 2025, but again, that will be subject to the availability of the contractor,” Nicol said.

The city has estimates for the total cost of the repairs, but noted it is waiting until the RFP process is complete before sharing that information. Nicol noted the province has contributed $500,000 in grants for the project.

When it does reopen, Nicol said The Garry will continue to serve as a movie venue, as well as a space for live performances and private rentals. It will be independently operated by a community-led non-profit organization.

“At the end of the day, for this to be financially viable, for this to be successful, we're going to need some deep commitment from the community,” Nicol said. “We're going to need people actually buying tickets and showing up.”

Olivia Smith, who works just down the street from the Garry, said she had been planning to see a movie with a friend when the theatre suddenly closed—calling curtains on years-worth of memories made inside.

“For being a movie theater in Selkirk, it was very cozy,” she said, adding she is looking forward to getting back inside The Garry and once again experiencing its good old-fashioned movie magic.

“I think it's going to be a really great way to kind of bring everyone back together.”

-with files from CTV’s Katherine Dow