On New Year’s Eve, Maria Dente and Nick Hudson had an extra reason to celebrate. At 3 p.m. that day, the pair signed a lease for the Malverne Cinema and Art Center.
They picked up the keys to the theater on Jan. 2.
“They finally signed the lease,” Malverne Mayor Tim Sullivan said at the Jan. 7 village board meeting. “It’s something that’s beloved for many of us in this village. We couldn’t be happier.”
In September 2024, the Malverne Cinema, a village institution on Hempstead Avenue, closed. The theater, which opened in 1947, had been operated by Anne and Henry Stampfel since 1990. The original cinema had a single 700-seat theater, but the Stampfels altered the layout to eventually include five theaters.
After a series of temporary closures, mainly due to the coronavirus pandemic and the theater’s high operating expenses, the Stampfels hosted a final screening before closing it.
Not long afterward, Hudson, a Malverne resident and the executive director of Entertainment 2 Affect Change, expressed interest in helping to reopen the theater. E2AC is a New York-based nonprofit that helps fund and distribute films. With his professional experience, Hudson was familiar with what happens to theaters around the country after they close — they’re often replaced by retail or residential space that doesn’t serve the community — and pitched an increasingly popular alternative, transitioning the theater to a nonprofit model.
Hudson was acquainted with Dente, president and director of Dente’s Dreamers and a former special-education teacher. Dente’s Dreamers is a Lynbrook-based nonprofit that encourages people of all abilities to take part in a production company, in roles ranging from stage performers to light and sound design.
Dente shared an interest in the Malverne because it has a cement stage that has been covered by two movie screens, which can accommodate Dente’s Dreamers’ live theater productions, and can also be rented out to others.
“Just to have the lease signed means, like deep down, that this is real and it’s happening,” Hudson said.
E2AC will serve as a fiscal sponsor for the theater, giving it nonprofit status as Dente’s Dreamers completes the requirements to become a recognized nonprofit itself.
Hudson and Dente have raised over $100,000, which is well short of their $500,000 goal, but has allowed them to sign the lease on the space. They hope to continue receiving donations throughout the renovation process and after the theater reopens.
The renovation will have two phases. The first will include the process of replacing the HVAC system, after which, Hudson said, they would like to reopen the theater as soon as they can. For now, he and Dente are focusing on making small improvements — removing the carpeting, installing new flooring, painting the walls and updating the amenities. They also want to ensure that the theater is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
One of their focuses will be on supporting, and employing, people with disabilities. There has been a great deal of interest among area special-education programs, Dente said, in working with the theater.
“There’s a lot of moving parts,” she said. “But we’re going to try our best to fit everybody in the proper places that they feel comfortable. They’ll feel pride, they’ll be excited to work and really help us get the Malverne up and running.”
The second wave of renovations will focus on larger, more structural changes, including removing a wall that separates two of the theaters to create one larger one, and opening up the stage for performances. There are also plans to convert one of the smaller screening rooms, near the front of the building, into a café, where theatergoers can purchase food and drinks. It will also be available to rent for events.
Hudson and Dente will also create a family-focused theater catering to those with young children, which will feature Saturday-morning “Cereal Cinema” screenings that will include breakfast.
“It’s always been a big part of this to really make it community-focused and family-friendly,” Hudson said.
When the renovations are complete, the theater will also have three screens for films targeted for a senior demographic, as well as “cinephile” screenings, highlighting the documentary, independent and foreign films that once drew movie lovers from across Long Island to the Malverne.
Dente and Hudson plan to host volunteer days, on which community members can lend a hand, helping to prepare the theater for its next chapter. Those who are interested can sign up for emails or join the volunteer committee at MalverneCinema.org. Donations can be made on the website as well, and gear can be purchased at Buoy4.com/pages/the-malverne-cinema-art-center.
