SUSAN CULLMAN AND ARTHUR SELKOWITZ

For generations, one of America’s favorite pastimes has been going to the movies. Whether taking a first date so you don’t have to talk too much or bringing the whole family for a night out with popcorn, seeing movie stars on the big screen while the action unfolded was pure magic. The experience was made even better by enjoying a film as a group: think of the extra chills during a scary movie as neighbors jump in their seats, or the added solemnity during a sad scene as people around you can’t help but sob. Even the theaters had a larger than life, mystical beauty in those days that made going to the movies something special.

So many memories and so much fun. Nowadays, we sit alone in our living rooms, repeatedly interrupted, watching on a biggish screen whatever happens to be streaming at the moment. If we want popcorn, we have to make it ourselves, and it doesn’t taste nearly as buttery and good as we remember from the movies. If we do venture to a movie house, it’s a sterile box with no magic or personality showing cookie-cutter action adventures.

It doesn’t have to be that way. And it won’t. Stamford’s Avon Theatre has been creating magic since 1939 when it first opened with the film “It’s a Wonderful World,” starring James Stewart and Claudette Colbert. Unfortunately, this historic landmark and its operators went into decline, and it faced demolition until the Royce family bought the building and reopened it in 2004 with a determination to restore its luster and purpose as a mecca for fine films. They created a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the best of independent films and programming to the community. Two decades later, the mission remains but the times have changed, and so must the Avon.

The theater still has the unique décor and design that distinguishes it from any other movie house in the area. It had magic back then, and we are determined to bring that magic back while adding all the comforts and high-tech stuff that sets movie-going in a theater apart from movie-watching at home. And, we will add the resources that will enable us to become a much more community focused center where we can collaborate with other organizations to bring special programs and events to the community.

To that end, the Board of Directors of the Avon Theatre has embarked on an ambitious plan to reinvent the Avon to bring it up to 21st century standards of comfort and technology while maintaining and enhancing its original charm. And we’ll be adding some high-tech magic to make movie-going even more special and fun.

We want to enlist the support of everyone who loves movies, values the conversations that interesting films can generate, and appreciates seeing them in a quintessentially classic movie theater. In May we will unveil these plans — Avon reCreated — and reach out to the community to begin this journey back to magic. In the meantime you can find us at https://avontheatre.org or at the Avon on Bedford Street.

Susan Cullman and Arthur Selkowitz are co-chairs of the Avon Theatre Board of Directors and are writing on behalf of the board.