SteamPlant Receives Rural Theater Grant

On December 21, the SteamPlant Theater received notification of a grant award of $12,500 from the Colorado Office of Film, Television, and Media (COFTM) and the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) as part of the Rural Theaters COVID-19 Support Initiative. This initiative’s primary aim was to provide financial assistance to rural theaters across Colorado, which constitute the heart of “Main Street” in many communities.

Additional supporters in making this grant possible were the Gates Family Foundation, the Boettcher Foundation, the El Pomar Foundation, and the Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority.

The SteamPlant, the City’s Arts and Culture Department’s main operation, hosts more than 500 events each year. Its location and many programs and events reflect the City’s substantial commitment to the arts and help support the thriving historic downtown. As the only performance space with a permanent, theater-quality setting to screen films in more than a 25-mile radius, the SteamPlant typically has monthly film programs to highlight music and the visual arts, respectively. Additionally, it annually screens the Manhattan Short Festival, the Oscar-Nominated Short Films and a slew of Oscar-nominated films, which the audience revels in seeing on the “big screen.” Similarly, several non-profit groups regularly bring mini-festivals and one-off film programs to the SteamPlant, such as the BowWow Film Festival, the Backcountry Film Festival and the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, to name a few.

Like many theaters and businesses, the SteamPlant will use the financial assistance to purchase equipment and update areas of the venue to accommodate people safely inside in adherence with public safety guidelines. Given that limited capacity inside the venue will continue during the early part of 2021, the SteamPlant is planning to build out small group, in-person and online educational offerings as part of a newly formed marketing partnership with Colorado Mountain College.

We want to get back to screening films as soon as possible, even if it’s to a limited audience and open our doors again with new offerings, favorite activities (lecture series and concerts!) and celebratory events. And, we want to do it safely for all to enjoy!