Wanda Tiltges of the Village of Fenney cannot believe that The Villages has ignored the voices of thousands of residents calling for the reopening of the Barnstorm Theater.
“As a newer resident of The Villages I was surprised and disappointed to learn that The Villages’ ownership has pushed back and not responded to requests to reopen the movie theater in Brownwood,” Tiltges said. “To simply ignore over 3,500 people isn’t representative of the culture you strive for … the friendliest place to live.”
She added that ignoring the plea from residents “isn’t professional, neighborly, or friendly.”
Residents agree that it doesn’t make sense that The Villages’ rapidly growing population should be served by a single theater, the Old Mill Playhouse at Lake Sumter Landing.
“We still go to Sumter Landing for the shows, but we need another theater south of there,” said Villager Nancy DeLuca.
Others agree
“I do think another theater is needed, considering all the building going on in the southern section of The Villages,” said Mary Ellen Perrette.
Sandy Solomon said The Villages “is much too large to house just one theater.”
However, Janis Loiselle of the Village of Hacienda East said that argument doesn’t stack up against the reality of the situation.
“If anyone signing the petition has been going to our only theater at Lake Sumter Landing, they would know why the Brownwood theater is not reopening,” she said.
For the last six months or more, she and her husband and a friend have been going once a week and there are usually 10-15 people there per show, she said.
“There are no lines for refreshments and the theater area outside of shows is a ghost town. Friends told me that they were the only two people in the theater for a showing the other day,” she said.
Loiselle added that with those numbers, one would wonder if the Old Mill Playhouse will continue to survive.
Sue Campbell-Merritt said it’s a shame for a large venue such as the Barnstorm Theater to remain vacant. She offered an idea.
“Personally, I would rather see the Barnstorm Theater converted into the resurrected Katie Belle’s that we all enjoyed so much,” she said. “The closing of Katie Belle’s was my biggest disappointment with The Villages and I’ve lived here 14 years and absolutely LOVED Katie Belle’s and I know so many other Villagers that feel the same way.”
