The Cinemat Remembered

It was Netflix that killed the beast.

Well, it wasn’t just Netflix. YouTube and other video-sharing Web sites, as well as the current economic crisis, all had a hand in bringing down The Cinemat, crushing the life out of the independent establishment that exhibited intimate concerts and unconventional movie screenings and housed an extensive variety of hard-to-come-by films.

Yet despite its high regard among Bloomington residents, The Cinemat on South Walnut is closing its doors.

“We managed to do pretty well for a while,” owner and founder Stephen Volan said. “People liked what we had to offer.”

The Cinemat opened in August 2002, primarily as an independent video rental store.  But in buying the property, Volan acquired more space than he planned.

He originally started a coffee house, which failed. When Volan’s attempt at turning the space into a movie theater went unappreciated, he opened up the room to live performances.

With its accommodating acoustic properties and intimate atmosphere, the space made for a distinct and popular venue.

“What I love most about The Cinemat is that it’s the perfect ‘in-between’ venue,” said Nicole O’Neal, Union Board director for Live From Bloomington. “It’s a place that is really perfect in the sense that you don’t feel too old or young to be there.”

Since summer 2007, bands have played inside the 49-seat Screening Room, located behind the video store.

One of store manager Nathan Vollmar’s best experiences at The Screening Room was in December.

“It was one local band called The Hung Stockings, playing mainly just for their friends, but it was one of the most hilariously off-the-wall performances I’ve had the honor of seeing,” he said.

The Cinemat frequent attendee Madeline Dowling also shares this enthusiasm, citing a recent Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson show as her favorite moment at the venue.
“It was a short-notice show that put me literally 5 feet away from someone I really admire musically,” Dowling said.

Thanks to its accessible location and accommodating space, artists enjoy playing at The Cinemat as much as the fans enjoy attending, Volan said.

He said the venue will honor all shows that have already been booked.
Although the store ceased rental operations Feb. 16, performances will still be held in The Screening Room until at least March 31.

In addition to the slew of bands set to play in the coming weeks, The Cinemat will also continue to hold its longest running event: Atomic Age Cinema.

Described by Volan as “a live version of Mystery Science Theater,” this weekly affair has been around for nearly five years and continues to delight audiences.

Saturdays at midnight, hosts Dr. Calamari and Baron Mardi present a very bad, out-of-copyright movie, which they mercilessly mock, Volan said.

Atomic Age Cinema is just one of the many The Screening Room events, but to the unsuspecting patron, the happenings behind the video store are a complete surprise.
“When you see people walk in and they discover something that they just didn’t expect and you see the look of mild astonishment on their face, that’s the kind of thing that you remember,” Volan said.

With the demise of The Cinemat, Bloomington will lose a multifaceted component of the community.

“We will be losing a great rental store with a great collection of videos,” O’Neal said. “If the venue closes altogether, we will also lose that great all-ages space.”
But Volan is keeping a positive mind-set.

“This building wants to be a venue, and it is a good venue,” said Volan.  “It will be a venue again.”