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| Author | Zoe Aresti |
This week, DCM talks to Mandy Hare, General Manager at The Paul Greengrass Cinema at The Woodville in Gravesend about how she started working in the cinema industry and what she finds unique about her cinema.
How and when did you start working in cinema and what do you love about it?
This is my first experience as a cinema manager as well as theatre manager as I have always been involved in the live aspect of entertainment as a sound engineer and then a producer and theatre manager. However, I am really enjoying it and I love the speed of the process and I really enjoy the ability to show several performances in one day. With theatre, it is much more labour intensive and one tends to only have one show a day. I love the Edinburgh Festival for the exact same reason that you can go to a venue and there are mutilple shows going on at one time.
What’s unique about your cinema?
The fact that it is housed in a theatre is not unique but it does set it apart from the multiplex. Our staff are fantastic as are our volunteers and so everyone who comes to visit feels as though they are a valued customer and that they are part of a wider experience with themed drinks and food available from the bar and brasserie.
Please tell us about any special events or screenings you run at your cinema
We always enjoy the ‘live’ performances for obvious reasons and we show a large number of Indian films which are really popular and bring a different audience into the venue which is exciting.
What excites you most about the future of the cinema industry?
The continued cross-over between live and film screenings. Now that this has been successful the possibilities are endless and I am looking forward to seeing where this takes us.
What is your favourite film of all-time?
Moulin Rouge – my career has been in musicals – how could it not be!
What do you foresee as being your biggest challenge in 2015?
Maintaining a diverse programme that continues to excite and challenge the audiences
What three things do you most enjoy doing in your free time?
1) Going to the theatre
2) Playing and watching tennis
3) Cooking and entertaining