Last week we announced over social media that founder, editor-in-chief, and all-around man-behind-the-curtain, Mike Burdge, is leaving the theater located at 445 Main Street in Beacon, NY, and Story Screen is going with him. We received an outpouring of love from the community, plenty of questions, and even some potential misinformation (No, Mike is not dead or leaving Story Screen. Yes, the theater will remain a movie theater, now called The Beacon).
Mike started Story Screen in 2014, showing movies publicly as pop-up events around Beacon, NY while partnering with local businesses. He gathered friends who created fun engaging content for pop-up events and Story Screen's website, everything from one-of-a-kind film posters to podcasts, videos, articles, and reviews - all while building a community of movie lovers where everyone is treated like family. Mike, along with Robert Anderson, Bernadette Gorman-White, and Diana DiMuro, later became Story Screen’s managing team behind the scenes. Story Screen built up a fanbase that helped lead to our involvement in the opening and management of Wonderbar and the Story Screen Beacon Theater.
At Story Screen Beacon Theater, Mike was the programmer, booker, and projectionist, while also working with the staff of both the theater and Wonderbar. Just when it seemed like the business had finally hit its stride, the pandemic hit. Story Screen reached out to its fans with digital movie screenings and fun live-streaming events to help keep the community engaged while they stayed safe at home. Eventually, we worked with the City of Beacon to build and operate the Story Screen Drive-In at the Beacon Settlement Camp. It was important to find ways during the pandemic to support other Beacon businesses and engage with the community. We were all in this together. The Story Screen Drive-In was a huge success. We even continued operating it for a while after the theater reopened.
Once the theater reopened, Story Screen continued to bring quality film programming (whether new or old, mainstream, independent, or local) to the big screen, while also hosting special events at the theater like the Beacon HorrorShow, Trivia nights, an annual Oscars celebration, and our monthly VHS Pasta Night. These special events and themed film series built up a large and supportive audience. We have had a terrific response to events and tremendous community support from everyone in Beacon. We love engaging with you. We are always excited when someone says they recognize one of us from a podcast episode of “Story Screen Presents” or when they want to discuss a movie they enjoyed watching at the theater.
We are definitely sad to leave the Beacon location behind, but we are also extremely excited about what’s next.
On behalf of everyone behind Story Screen, we want to thank all of the staff (past and present) of Wonderbar and the Beacon theater, all of the artists, creatives, and writers who contributed over the years to special events and our website, businesses who donated, and to everyone who showed up for screenings, from the early days of pop-up events around Beacon to shows on the big screen at the Story Screen Beacon Theater.
Thank you to the entire community of Beacon for all of its love and support. We could not have done it without you.
PLEASE STAY TUNED, FRIENDS.
This is not the end. While Mike Burdge and Story Screen are leaving the theater located at 445 Main Street, Beacon, NY, we still have so much more in store. We appreciate your continued support while we plan what’s next for Story Screen in the coming months.
We are excited about new locations, themed pop-up events, movie trivia, games, and much more! To stay up to date on the latest and greatest, follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram & Twitter) and visit our website www.storyscreenbeacon.com where you can sign up for our newsletter and find all of our fresh film content (articles, reviews, podcasts, and videos), as well as information on upcoming special events.
Keep an eye out for the launch of our new membership platform where you can support us while gaining access to exclusive content, special merchandise, and admission to our upcoming events.
We can’t wait to see you at the movies.
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