With a Movie Tavern and Alamo Drafthouse coming to town, the Manship Theatre has come up with a dining and film experience of its own that’s designed for serious film buffs.
The Film Lounge Series, which kicks off this month in the Hartley/Vey Studio Theatre, will include full bar service and food from by Capitol City Grill, as well as lounge seating with sofas and cabaret tables. Tickets are $6 and the Manship Theater hopes to continue the series featuring independent, international and classic films through the end of the year.
“This is going to be a more intimate atmosphere than the stadium set up that you see at [Movie Tavern and Alamo Drafthouse]. People will sit with their friends rather than in rows,” says Jason Langlois, director of film programming at the Manship Theatre. “This is going to be different because we are more of an art house.”
The first films in the lineup are R-rated horror movies The Stranger on July 8 and Bound to Vengeance on July 29, each presented by indie film distributor IFC Midnight and producer Eli Roth.
“We are going for the people that like horror movies, but these are independent movies so they are a little off the beaten track,” Langlois says. “This month is the experimental stage. Moving forward it will include some new releases and French films from the new age movement in the 1960s.”
The Film Lounge Series wasn’t difficult to get going because the Manship Theatre already had the space and Capitol City Grill is located in the same building, Langlois says. Unlike their current dinner and a movie programs though, where viewers can eat a film-themed meal at Capital City Grill and then head to the screening, the Lounge Series will serve food during the movie.
While the first run of films will be in the horror genre, future series will focus on Hollywood classics, retrospectives, local filmmaker showcases and “B movies.” Langlois says the theatre will also partner with LSU for some screenings to create an experience for viewers “with a lot more depth” and education about the films.
“So the goal is by the time we get to those screenings, it will be a lot more than just watching,” Langlois says. “Viewers will be able to learn about the films.”
For now, horror movie lovers can buy tickets for this month’s screenings at the Manship Theatre box office or online.
—Deanna Narveson
