By Anna Marden, News Staff

Stuart Street Playhouse, a former live theatre, reopened as a one-screen art film theatre Oct. 30., returning to its ’90s roots as a cinema said owner David Bramante.
‘It’s going pretty well considering it’s an absolutely brand new venture,’ Bramante said. ‘I’m enthusiastic that it will be successful.’
The Stuart Street Playhouse specializes in showing independent and foreign films, Bramante said. They are currently showing ‘A Serious Man,’ a film by Ethan and Joel Coen, and offering free soda and popcorn today through Thanksgiving Day.
Aside from showing different types of films, a main difference between his theatre and chain theaters is the ‘hands-on’ approach of his administration, Bramante said.
‘There’s a lot of interaction between operators and customers. Sometimes it helps us find new films,’ Bramante said.
He said a customer recently approached him with a film suggestion, which he is now trying to book for the cinema.
Upcoming films scheduled to run at the Playhouse include ‘A Single Man,’ directed by fashion designer Tom Ford, ‘Coco Before Chanel,’ starring French actress Audrey Tautou as the eponymous designer, and ‘An Education,’ an autobiographical memoir written by British journalist Lynn Barber and adapted by Nick Hornby, Bramante said.
An additional feature of the cinema is the real butter on its popcorn. Bramante said they won Boston Magazine’s ‘Best of Boston’ Best Theatre Popcorn Award in 1997 for their popcorn at the West Newton Cinema, which he also owns.
Bramante said the greatest distinction of the Stuart Street Playhouse is its location in the Theatre District.
‘It’s the only operating art theatre in downtown Boston,’ he said.
Bramante said he has been interested in opening an independent cinema since 1996 and has remained in contact with the building owners ever since then. He said this year they were finally open to the idea of the theatre.
There are already visions in place for the future of the Playhouse; Bramante said he would like to make it a multi-screen theatre and involve the theatre in festivals.
‘Boston is a type of city that should definitely have an art theatre and be involved in film festivals. My goal is to develop this [cinema] into that mecca for indie and foreign films,’ Bramante said.
Stuart Street Playhouse is located at 200 Stuart St. For showtimes and more information, call 617-426-4499.