The Pleasant Street Theatre in Northampton, Massachusetts will close on June 8, 2012, according to a press release issued by the Amherst Cinema Arts Center today.

“This was not a decision we came to lightly, or without sadness,” said Carol Johnson, Executive Director of the Amherst Cinema Arts Center. “And it was not a decision about the future of independent film and world cinema in our Valley,” she said.

“Our Valley loves film! This decision was about how best to fulfill our mission and how to use our future resources to meet the growing needs of an expanding regional audience.”

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“We gave it our all, and evaluated many options for keeping the Pleasant Street Theater open before concluding that the theater is physically inadequate as a venue in which to continue our mission,” said Johnson.

“We would have been looking at significant expenditures just to stay current with the technology that is essential for vibrant arts programming today.”

“Also, today’s audiences expect good sight lines and a comfortable theater-going environment, two things the size and configuration of the Pleasant Street Theater make impossible. On top of that, the theater, which we rent, is not handicapped-accessible and cannot be made so because of space limitations. These factors, combined with the costs of updated technology, led to the decision to focus our efforts in a way that best serves our audience.”

The Amherst Cinema Arts Center re-opened the theater after it closed in 2007. Together with the Amherst Cinema Arts Center in Amherst, the theater showed arthouse movies as well as educational and cultural programs. As an example of the theater's lineup, they are showing Headhunters (Hodejegerne), Repo Man, and Sound of My Voice today.

The Amherst location will remain open and will be the focus of the non-profit group after the Northampton location closes. It was built and opened in 2006, so it is a newer facility and is capable of showing alternative programming, such as ballet performances and live theater broadcasts from Britain's National Theatre.

Special farewell screenings are being planned for Friday, June 8 and will be announced later.

Source: Amherst Cinema Arts Center Press Release