Program Sponsorship
During the past nine years, the Colonial Theatre has become a valued resource for families looking to experience outstanding films and live performances together. You won’t find classic and children’s film programming like ours anywhere else in Chester County! Opened in 1999 as a non-profit theatre by the Association for the Colonial Theatre (ACT), the Colonial has helped to improve the quality of life in our community. The theatre’s presence has encouraged revitalization in our downtown and increased foot traffic in our borough.
You can support the Colonial’s programs and, at the same time, promote your business!
Programming film and live performances is expensive, but you can help! By sponsoring one of our programs with a donation of $250 you can help us continue to bring classic films, children’s films and live shows to families in and around Phoenixville. Click here to download a pdf about current sponsorship opportunities.
Sponsors of the Colonial Theatre’s Children’s Series, Classics on Sundays Series, or First Friday Fright Night Series are recognized in all advertising including placement on the marquee of the Colonial on Bridge Street for the week leading up to the film you have chosen to sponsor. Additional recognition includes mention in our quarterly newsletter, which has a circulation of 5,000; announcements and links to your website in our weekly email, which has a circulation of 3,500; and updated sponsorship listings on the theatre’s website. Further, we invite you or someone from your organization to introduce the film and establish a presence in our lobby before and after the film, providing information about your business for our patrons. As a token of our appreciation, we will provide you with 50 free passes to the film, to give to your employees, customers, friends and family. Your sponsorship is a wonderful way to contribute to the lives of families in our community. Be a part of the fun! For as little as $250 you can help the Colonial Theatre continue to bring exceptional programming to our town. Please take a look at the attached schedule and consider sponsoring one of our upcoming classics or children’s programs.
Does my donation of $250 cover all of your expenses to show a film?
No, it doesn’t, but your donation helps tremendously! Generally we are charged a flat fee between $250 and $350 for the rights to show a classic or kids’ film. In addition there are shipping costs (film prints are heavy – weighing up to 80 pounds) and overhead expenses (heat, electricity, advertising) resulting in a cost well over $600. Live performances are even more expensive and can vary wildly; that’s why we need your help!
How do you pick the films you show?
We have a committee that meets approximately four times a year to select the classic films. Generally we all come to the meeting with our own ideas about themes, particular actors, directors or genres we’d like to focus on. The committee works together to flesh out the best themes with films, or to build a theme around a particularly compelling film. We try to balance screening films we think will be popular with those that are more eclectic, but worth seeing in this setting. Following the meeting, several weeks are spent tracking down 35mm prints of the films and scheduling them. The kids’ films are also programmed thematically with particular attention paid to the quality and the age appropriateness of the films. The children’s audience is highly segmented (4-7 year-olds, 8-10 year-olds, and 12-15 year-olds are not at all interested in the same things), so we try to offer films that will appeal to the various segments of the audience. We always welcome your suggestions about all of our programming!
When do you need my donation?
We need to receive your donation before the screening date of your film. Please fill out the attached forms and send along with your check payable to: The Association for the Colonial Theatre (ACT), PO Box 712, Phoenixville, PA 19460. Or, follow the Click & Pledge link from any page of our website to pay by credit card.
Who do I call if I have more questions?
Please call Kirsten Van Vlandren, our Assistant Director, at (610) 917-1228 or email her at kirsten at thecolonialtheatre dot com.