While visiting the Pittsburgh area this past week, I
saw two movies, the biopic Judy and the documentary Linda Ronstadt:
The Sound of My Voice, at the Tull Family Theater. Filling a void in
suburbia for independent cinema, it is designed, according to its mission
statement, “to strengthen cultural, educational and entertainment experiences
in the region northwest of Pittsburgh.”
A nonprofit organization, the theater—named in honor
of billionaire Thomas Tull and his wife Alba, whose family foundation donated
to the project—has no owners, being governed instead by a board of directors
and administered by staffers. Rather than strictly ticket revenues, it has also
depended since opening two years ago on patrons, government, corporations, and
foundations.
Among the unique aspects of the theater are that it provides
transportation and tickets at no cost to
underprivileged children who might be attending a film for the first time, and
that it has piloted low-sensory screening in the region, opening new options to
families and children impacted by autism and other special needs.
During this month, the Tull has also run Sir Kenneth
Branagh’s film about William Shakespeare, All is True, and through the
rest of the year will show such family favorites or classics as Psycho, Amadeus,
Forrest Gump, Casablanca, Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life and
Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Anyone visiting the Pittsburgh area can combine a
leisurely stroll through the quaint suburb of Sewickley with a performance at
the theater. I hope that Pittsburgh readers will also go on to financially
support this attempt to bring culture to the suburbs.
