For every Oscar winner, so many others are left disappointed.
Now add Kiggins Theatre owner Dan Wyatt to that list. Every year for the past three, Wyatt and the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce have hosted a local Academy Awards extravaganza at the Kiggins in conjunction with Hollywood’s really big night.
Locals put on their Ritz as they arrived by limousine, floated along the red carpet, got swarmed by pretend paparazzi, loosened up with food and drink and live music, and then settled into the big, old-fashioned auditorium to watch the Academy Awards on the big screen.
“It’s been what I call my Super Bowl,” Wyatt said. “But it’s a pretty tough sell for Vancouver.”
Too tough for this year, as it turns out. The Kiggins has been celebrating the Oscars lately — in the form of special screenings of nominated documentaries, short features and foreign films — but there won’t be an Academy Awards watch party at the theater Feb. 28.
Even with last year’s very welcome out-of-town sponsor — Kings Hawaiian, a California bakery — the event has never been able to break even, said Teresa Lawwill of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. And, according to Columbian coverage, attendance has declined every year — from about 150 in 2013, to 140 in 2014, to 120 last year.
“We had great sponsors, but it still wasn’t enough,” she said. “We threw a big, beautiful, wonderful Academy Awards party, but we just couldn’t cover our costs. We told the Kiggins we’d be happy to help, but we can’t be the lead anymore.”
80th anniversary
Although there will be no red-carpet rollout at the Kiggins this month, there will be a gigantic birthday celebration on April 24. That’s 80 years to the day since the theater, named for mayor and businessman John P. Kiggins, opened in 1936 at 1011 Main St. in downtown Vancouver. The inaugural screening was “She Married Her Boss,” starring Claudette Colbert and Melvyn Douglas.
“We’re busy. We’re doing movies and events every week. We only have so much bandwidth,” Wyatt said. “With these two things so close together, the Oscars and the 80th birthday, we just decided, let’s focus our energy on the birthday this year.”
To make it a truly special birthday for this historical spot, Wyatt has formed a community committee to do the planning. He was getting ready for another tough sponsorship sell, but at a Thursday morning Chamber breakfast, generous sponsorship offers started finding their way to him, he said — sounding distinctly relieved.
Meanwhile, Wyatt is inviting the community to contribute. If you’ve got memorabilia from Kiggins history — ticket stubs, photos, maybe even employee uniforms or other souvenirs — Wyatt and his staff would love to know about it. Great Kiggins stories are welcome, too.
Wyatt is hoping to put together a fantastic display and perhaps even make a downtown holiday of it on April 24 with a Sunday street party, refreshments, special screenings and much more. There even may be a street closure and a 1930s-style big band, he said. (So maybe there will be a reason to show up downtown in tux and tails or a glittering gown after all.)
Plans are still firming up. In the meantime, email Kiggins spokeswoman Karyssa Wolfe at karyssa@kigginstheatre.com if you’ve got memorabilia, memories or ideas to share. Souvenirs will be lovingly tended and returned afterwards, Wolfe said, so you needn’t fear losing your treasures.
