Film poster detail, Purple Rain Credit: Courtesy of Town Hall Theater
If you’re still mourning the loss of the Purple One (and who isn’t?), you might want to consider driving your little red Corvette to Middlebury this Saturday, September 24, for the 2016 premiere of Town Hall Theater‘s Rock on Film series.  Purple Rain, starring the recently departed Prince, will kick off the season, which will feature eight or nine films.

The series was created by Town Hall Theater board members Paul Wyncoop and Ashar Nelson, along with executive director Doug Anderson. The three generated the concept last year at a local bar while brainstorming ideas for offbeat programming. The first film screened was Jonathan Demme’s Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense. According to Anderson, the series has brought in a new audience for Town Hall Theater.

In an email to Seven Days, he writes: “You can sit at home and watch these films on a small screen, but if you see them on our big screen, with the music played at concert volume on our great sound system, it’s a completely different experience.”

Anderson adds that, although there’s no official interactive experience for the audience, a party atmosphere prevails and spontaneous dance parties have been known to occur. 

Though the full season is still being planned, upcoming films include Gimme Shelter on Saturday, October 29, and Woodstock on Friday, November 11. The series has previously included A Hard Day’s Night, Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back and The Last Waltz.

Purple Rain starts at 7:30 p.m. and admission is $10. There will be a cash bar.

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Jordan Adams joined Seven Days as music editor in 2016. In 2021, he became an arts and culture staff writer. He's won awards from the Vermont Press Association and the New England Newspaper and Press Association. In 2022, he became a freelance contributor.