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Behind the screens of Tiffany Theater

Did you ever wonder where all of the doors in Tiffany Theatre lead to? Well, it turns out that a good majority of them are supply closets, however, behind the screens of Tiffany Theatre are some pretty amazing things. When the Tiffany Theatre underwent renovations, they added two screens and switched to a digital projection process as opposed to traditional reels. There is a control system and projector in each of the screen’s booths where the movies are ‘built.’ Each movie is prefaced with advertisements for new movies, as always, but the film is compiled much like a power point slide. The previews are set up with transitions in between before putting the movie into the timeline. “The equipment is pretty simple, once you’re taught how to use it,” said Levi Campbell, a projectionist at Tiffany Theatre.While renovating, the employees found closets upon closets of things left over from the Theatre’s play production days. One of the back rooms is entirely filled with these things, ranging from Samurai costumes to an old baby crib. Another one of the ‘secret doors’ leads to the basement, where the employees have even shot a few movies for themselves. “We shot an interrogation scene in here one time. It was perfect for that sketchy interrogation room with the dangling light bulb and the concrete walls. It was a lot of fun,” Campbell explained. It’s obvious that the employees really enjoy their work.“You get a ton of perks,” Evan Rose confessed, “You get into movies for free, half price on concessions, and sometimes, if we get the key early, we have ‘employee screenings’ of movies. We saw Spider-Man a couple of days early.”The concession stand is where the employees spend most of their time. Each employee has jobs to do each night that they’re working including cleaning, selling tickets, starting the movies and, of course, concession sales. One of the things the employees do at the concession booth is the ‘Theatre Olympics.’ Some examples of the events are: Six Root Beer Chuggings, where the employees drink six small root beers as fast as they can; Most Kid’s Packs Made in One Minute; and Fastest Popper Clean-Up.“I actually have the record for the Most Kid’s Packs Made in One Minute. And you wouldn’t think that the Root Beer Chugging would be that difficult, but root beer like, expands in your stomach, and after about four you’re just done.” Campbell said. When asked about the pros and cons of working at the theatre, Rose said “The hours are probably my favorite. They work well with school and you can have other jobs if you want.” As per the cons, both Campbell and Rose agreed that it was the popcorn smell. “You will always smell like popcorn,” Campbell explained, “Even your car will start to smell like popcorn. You can’t even bring a jacket to work because the smell won’t come out.” The Tiffany Theatre is not only a fun place to hang-out; it’s fun for the employees as well, and behind the screens of this hometown theatre is a lot of surprises.