By Madina Toure
Roughly 170 residents and community leaders rallied in front of the Sunnyside Theater Sunday afternoon to protest the theater’s closing despite the owner’s rejection of a six-month lease extension.
Ralliers gathered in front of Sunnyside’s only theater on 4217 Queens Blvd. to ask landlord John Ciafone, an Astoria-based attorney, to sit down with theater owner Rudy Prashad, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) and Sunnyside residents to negotiate before the building is demolished.
Community activists Ty Sullivan and Jon Storck, both Sunnyside residents, organized the rally.
“It was nice to see such a different demographic show up for this,” Sullivan said. “The folks who would be considered the hipsters, the young, the disposable income, the elderly, the families …. exactly what we wanted to see.”
Prashad said he would maintain the theater’s prices — $7.50, along with $5 Tuesdays — if the theater remains open. Residents can also see movies for free at 10 a.m. He also said he would offer a free showing to residents for any movies showing at 10 a.m. this Saturday.
“There’s nowhere else in New York City that you can get a movie, popcorn and soda for $10,” Prashad said. “If I’m allowed to stay here, that will never change.”
An online petition gathered 1,095 out of 2,000 signatures needed by Dec. 31 as of Monday afternoon. A petition handed out the rally garnered another 300 signatures.
Van Bramer and state Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Sunnyside) have expressed for saving the theater and finding a solution that satisfies all parties involved in the matter. Santiago Vargas, Nolan’s community liaison, represented her at the rally.
Ciafone offered a six-month lease extension to Prashad, but Prashad said the theater would close at the start of the summer money-making session.
Prashad tried to bid $5.5 million to buy the property himself but the deal had already been made with Ciafone. The theater was scheduled to close down Jan. 4 but Ciafone gave him more time.
Ciafone bought the property when the Dime Savings Bank put it up for sale in 2012. He is planning to build a medium-size residential building with ground floor retail and include affordable housing and community facility space. A point of contention is the assertion by the broker on the sale of the property claiming luxury apartments are the goal.
Donald McCallian, president of the United 40s Civic Association, dubbed the theater as Sunnyside’s main entertainment center.
“There’s a lot of people who still need entertainment theaters like this in the neighborhood,” McCallian said.
Pat Dorfman, founder of Sunnyside Artists and temporary executive director of the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce, emphasized the importance of keeping small businesses that offer low-cost pleasure.
“Let’s try to keep something like this as long a we can,” Dorfman said. “This is such a gift to everyone around here.”
Sunnyside resident Maria Rosenblum lauded the theater’s affordable prices.
“Why take that away from the residents?” Rosenblum said. “It’s just not right.”
Sunnyside resident Gary Certain, 48, agreed, saying that he brings his nieces and nephews to the theater.
“It’s a real meeting place for the neighborhood,” Certain said. “It’s a source of entertainment in the community.”
Sullivan invited Ciafone to the rally but he was unable to make it due to an engagement. But he said Ciafone sent him a “very, very nice email” expressing a willingness to discuss the issue.
“It would have been nice to have his voice lent to it to see who he was, he said. “ He’s not the villain here but how do we make it work for all of us in the community and the developer coming in?”
Ciafone said it might have been hard for Prashad to maintain his low prices given rising rents and that he hopes they can bring affordable housing, along with underground parking to alleviate congestion and community facility space.
“When the project’s done, we’d be happy to come back and sit down with Rudy and hopefully we can have a relationship again, a landlord-tenant relationship,” he said.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtoure@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.
