By Peter Barhydt
Scene One Entertainment, the company he owns and leads, has acquired the lease for the historic two-screen theater on Elm Street and is expected to assume operations no later than March 15, according to a Feb. 11 announcement. The move places a familiar figure back at the helm of a building he once operated under a different banner, and it signals another transition for a theater that has stood at the center of town life for more than a century.
“I’m very excited about it and can’t wait to get going,” Masher said in an interview with the New Canaan Sentinel. He served as chief operating officer of Bow Tie Cinemas from 2004 through 2022 and oversaw the Playhouse from 2006 until the COVID-19 pandemic. “I have always loved the theater and love New Canaan and am very excited to be able to be selected to run the now revamped playhouse.”
The Town of New Canaan invested $8.5 million in recent years to renovate the building, preserving its historic exterior while modernizing its interior. The Playhouse first opened in 1923 with a showing of “Down to the Sea in Ships,” and operated as a single screen until it was split into two in 1986.
Masher inherits a fully refurbished space. Under Bow Tie, he said, “we inherited it from another theater chain. So it was what it was.” The company installed new seats, and a concession stand during its tenure. “But now it has been completely revamped,” he said. “It’s pretty amazing inside and it will always be sparkling clean and beautiful and fresh.”
Town officials endorsed the transition unanimously. “On behalf of the Town of New Canaan, I am thrilled to welcome Scene One New Canaan, LLC as the new operator of The Playhouse,” First Selectman Dionna Carlson said in a statement. “This beloved landmark has long been a centerpiece of our community, and we are excited to begin this next chapter together.”
Masher said there will be no interruption in service as the lease changes hands. He described a coordinated transition with the current operator. “Their last night will be one day and it’ll be our theater the next day,” he said, adding that he maintains “a good relationship” with CinemaLab’s leadership and is looking forward to a smooth transition.
Masher, who is now based in the Albany, N.Y., area after acquiring theaters and an amusement park there, said he will return to New Canaan in the coming weeks to meet with staff. “They’ll all have equal opportunity to stay on board,” he said. He noted that employees attended a recent Town Council meeting and “were a very excited group,” calling that “a big plus.”
Programming may evolve. Scene One operates theaters in several states and has developed a reputation for repertory screenings, filmmaker discussions and specialty releases. Masher cited past engagements with Netflix titles screened theatrically before streaming release, including “Frankenstein,” “Wake Up Dead Man, a Knives Out Story,” “Jay Kelly,” and “Train Dreams.” “The big guys don’t play those,” he said. “So that’s unique and that draws a lot of people in.”
He acknowledged the constraints of a two-screen venue, where regularly scheduled first-run films limit flexibility. Repertory showings may be slotted earlier in the day. “We’ll make sure that we’re very lively with our programming,” he said.
Masher brings industry credentials that may inform that approach. He is a board member of the National Association of Theatre Owners and he serves in leadership roles in their New York and Connecticut chapter. Additionally, he serves on the Library of Congress Film Preservation Board, where he votes on films to be selected selected for the National Film Registry. “So we can do screenings based around that and all kinds of things,” he said, adding that proximity to New York City creates opportunities for filmmaker talkbacks and special events.
The Playhouse’s second-floor lounge and The Pub on the main level are also part of the plan. In its release, Scene One said it intends to focus on “partnership activation of The Pub and second-floor speakeasy spaces.” The company is finalizing a partnership with Z Hospitality Group, the current operator of The Pub. “Z Hospitality is known for its quality operations at its many innovative restaurants throughout Fairfield and Westchester counties. We look forward to expanding this partnership to the benefit of our guests, first and foremost,” Masher said in the release.
Concessions will receive attention as well. Masher said. “The butter on our popcorn will be real and it’ll be my secret recipe that we’ve served in other theaters and is very popular.” He added that he has received feedback from the town’s selection committee and council members on concession offerings and that “those suggestions” will be implemented “on day one.”
The broader movie theater business has changed since Masher last operated in New Canaan. He pointed to pre-pandemic studio mergers that reduced the number of annual film releases available to exhibitors and said that COVID-19 accelerated streaming platforms’ timelines. Even so, he sees room for revival through curation and community engagement. At one of his Albany theaters, he recently programmed a month dedicated to director Rob Reiner’s body of work and previously mounted series devoted to Alfred Hitchcock and is planning one for actor Catherine O’Hara.
In New Canaan, he said, the goal is continuity with renewal. “I’m just very excited to be back,” Masher said. He noted the unanimous vote awarding the lease to Scene One and added, “I will not let anybody down. I’m sure that people are going to have a great time and I’m always accessible too for people to speak to or chat with anytime they want.”
A century-old theater, refurbished and reintroduced, is again under the direction of a man who knows its rhythms. The show, as he put it, “must go on.”
