For months, the rumors have run wild about the fate of the Wilma Theater: No more movies. Business offices replacing the funky Red Light/Green Room spaces (once known to locals as the even-more-funky Chapel of the Dove). An Olive Garden restaurant in the basement.
Fortunately for those who love the old high-rise at the center of downtown Missoula, none of those rumors are true.
“We have a local restaurateur who is closing on the purchase of that space at the end of December or early January,” said Rick Wishcamper, one of the partners in the Rocky Mountain Development Group, which bought the building from longtime owner Tracy Blakeslee this past summer. While declining to say who the restaurateur is, or what the focal cuisine of the restaurant will be, Wishcamper said Missoula foodies will find plenty to love.
“I think the restaurant is expecting to have a ‘soft opening' sometime in the middle of January, and be in full operation soon thereafter,” he noted.
As for the Red Light/Green Room spaces, those will stay the way they are, for now anyway. Receptions and other events are already booked in the groovy basement bar and lounges into March. And in February, the Red Light/Green Room will open to the public.
“We'll have it open to the public Wednesdays through Saturdays,” said Marcus Duckwitz, manager of the Wilma. “We have a handful of touring (musical) acts that will be playing down there, and possibly some dance club events. We don't have the plan exactly straight yet, but we do intend to try some fun stuff down there.”
As for the movie theater, Duckwitz and the owners of the building say to expect more of the same entertainment that has been presented there over the years - and in an improved environment.
Wishcamper and his partner, Justin Metcalf, have been busy renovating the theater, replacing the massive stage curtain, upgrading the projection booth, installing new draperies and tapestries, cleaning the seats and floors, and significantly upgrading the backstage dressing rooms and upstairs bathrooms. They're also adding two new restrooms on the first floor of the theater, which will finally bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“We are hopefully changing the stigma that's been attached to (the Wilma),” Metcalf said. “Instead of sending the message that ‘you're lucky to be coming here,' we're trying to change that to where it's ‘we're lucky to have you.' ”
“Our overall strategic plan,” added Wishcamper, “is to continue as a movie theater with independent and foreign films, but broaden the offerings to make it a cultural hub instead of just a movie house with occasional live events.”
Toward that end, Duckwitz will be aiming to bring approximately 28 to 30 live concerts to the Wilma per year. That's a significant increase from years past. Duckwitz said he also hopes to bring special movie events to the Wilma - say, for example, a screening of “The Big Lebowski” complete with the titular character's signature White Russians.
“We have a really broad perspective on arts and the opportunities for what we present, from poetry to rap to banjo to the ballet,” Wishcamper said. “We're all about all of it. We're really excited about what we can offer there.”
Reporter Joe Nickell can be reached at 523-5358 or at jnickell@missoulian.com.
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