5 Nightlight Voices Reflect on Our Story — and Next Chapter
Jenn, Cory, Steve, Mary, and Joy share heartfelt stories from the past, and an insightful vision for the future: a reminder of The Nightlight's unique role in Akron's cultural landscape for a decade — and the impact our Second Screen Expansion sets us up to make in the coming years.
Jenn Kidd, Executive Director
✨ LOOKING BACK
The Nightlight has always held a special place in my heart, with its grand opening coincidentally falling on my birthday.
I have so many fond memories of movie-going experiences here and feel fortunate every single day to be leading the helm.
I vividly recall the challenging days of the Covid-19 pandemic before I joined the team here. While I found myself at home, streaming films on my television, nothing could compare to The Nightlight experience. The cozy recliners and the shared atmosphere of film appreciation were the one place I truly wished to be. Even in isolation, The Nightlight remained a beacon of cinematic joy and hope, drawing me back in spirit if not in person.
The Nightlight marquee in Spring 2022, looking ahead to our long-awaited reopening later that summer
🎬 LOOKING AHEAD
I am beyond excited for the addition of a second screen.
This is going to be a game changer for us, and Akron, in so many ways. We will be adding themed series along with many special guests, and can finally say yes to opportunities we haven’t been able to with one screen!
I am proud of our community engagement and look forward to incorporating more educational partnerships and adding programs for youngsters. There is a beauty in knowing that films can be created with the phones in your pockets. I want kids in Akron to know that filmmaking doesn’t have to be a far-off dream.
Amidst this growth, we are committed to preserving our intimate, community-focused atmosphere. This is a core part of our identity, and we will ensure that it remains at the heart of our mission, fostering a sense of connection and belonging among our community members.
We are grateful to everyone who has helped The Nightlight get to where we are today, allowing us the opportunity to build this future together for Akron.
Cory Sheldon, Co-Founder & Current Board Member
✨ LOOKING BACK
My wife and I had our first date at The Nightlight the summer it opened. It was a spontaneous event, faintly planned, and I remember it in detail.
We also got engaged at The Nightlight, a night that took months of planning (lots of editing, learning some French, and ordering a ring from Laos) and involved some gracious cooperation by a few staff members.
I can't think of a more fitting place for these two precious moments of my life. The films we watched complimented what was swirling around in our hearts, and to share it in a place built by friends, in a city we hold so dear, it's hard to imagine a better setting.
🎬 LOOKING AHEAD
The dream of The Nightlight was not so complex:
A group of friends wanted an arthouse cinema in Akron, thought hard about how it could best service both the art form and city we loved, and moved forward as best we knew how.
I still feel the same today, but it is so much easier now — imagining all the ways that dream manifests itself into reality.
The Nightlight is beautiful — the films, the members, the visitors, the space, the people who care for it — and my confidence in the cinema largely comes from that beauty. A harmony is felt between the thoughtfulness that goes into curating films, the appreciation by the audience, and the effort to keep it all going.
It has been heartwarming to partner with so many other groups around Akron. The value of The Nightlight spreads across all of these things, which I believe gives it strength.
Being involved with the cinema from the beginning, I have participated in much planning, but have witnessed even more surprises that have sprouted from the combined hearts and efforts of those that hold it dear.
Like the films we show in the cinema, I don't know how it will all turn out, but I'm confident in those who put it together and that the journey will be one worth taking.
Steve Felix, Co-Founder & Emeritus Board Member
✨ LOOKING BACK
I crave a place to share cinema with other people.
So much so that it's easy for me to believe that other people do too, in spite of a lifetime of hearing speculation that something would replace going to the movies.
Nevertheless, when the initial team was painting and installing at all hours to get it ready to open on schedule, we felt out on a limb.
After a big opening month in July 2014, attendance in August had me ready to say, "Well, at least we tried." Of course, it got back up to speed soon enough! But I liked to remind people to not take having an art house cinema for granted.
When folks would come in and say they felt like they were in NYC, they made it feel so special as to be ephemeral. After ten years, though, maybe we've earned the right to take it a little bit for granted! Every town deserves The Nightlight.
But in Akron, a bunch of people decided to get it and keep it.
My enduring memories are of the fellow believers who carved out a place for Akron, and continue to care for it.
Celebrating Our Community Partners
Our mission to create meaningful cinematic experiences in Akron is fueled with each and every unique community partnership we make.
This year alone, we’ve teamed up with some amazing people and organizations — local, regional, and national — so we’re sharing highlights so far!
🎬 LOOKING AHEAD
The biggest compromise we made to get The Nightlight open on time was to settle for one screen, despite being well aware how much more flexibility we'd get from two. Experienced advisors said, "Whatever you do, GET TWO SCREENS!"
And now, Jenn and company are doing it.
I don't look for perpetual growth, but this is the degree of growth that makes me consider The Nightlight complete. It's a point at which a well-supported staff can provide a full spectrum of film choices that even more easily justify a membership.
Filmgoing can become a lifestyle for more Akronites when it's rarely necessary to skip a week for lack of options.
With that type of embrace, ten more years from now I could see Akron and The Nightlight being popularly recognized as a cinema destination and model — a prestige location for new films to open.
Mary O’Connor, Lead Architect for Screens 1 & 2
✨ LOOKING BACK
I cannot say exactly when it happened as we created the first Nightlight Cinema, but I fell completely in love — with the entire team. And I mean everyone including the air conditioning contractors. I could see it coming really, because it was there from the beginning — love.
Cory and I were strangers on a mission team building a house in Juarez, Mexico, but by the end of the endless ride back to Akron, we were already on to something more than the friends we had become on the trip. I was a theater architect, and they wanted to create a theater.
There was a certain inevitability about the adventure that unfolded — the highs and lows, the nerves and the dust, the transformation of dusty space into tiny magic. We surfed the current of its mysterious destiny, sparking diamonds through the whole of the wave. We knew we were in it, fully alive through the mistakes, naiveté, luck, trust, and joy.
There was, too, the strange pain of success, of giving over the creation romance to a city that claimed it.
🎬 LOOKING AHEAD
I am already sitting on the aisle, left side, second last row of the Second Screen, waiting for the start of the Akron Indie Fest.
Joy Moxon, Current Board Member & Board Chair
✨ LOOKING BACK
I think we first discovered The Nightlight in 2015. The memories I cherish most are going to The Nightlight with my family and watching my kids fall in love with film. If it weren’t for The Nightlight, we would have missed out on this amazing, shared experience.
I can’t imagine Akron without it.
I joined The Nightlight Board in 2020, just a few months before the theater was shuttered due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, The Nightlight found creative ways to fulfill its mission to foster cinema and community in new ways, including through virtual and outdoor screenings. I think people really appreciated that during those difficult times. As a result, The Nightlight not only survived, it thrived!
The Nightlight’s marquee more recently, looking ahead to our second screen’s 2025 debut!
🎬 LOOKING AHEAD
Over the next ten years, I see The Nightlight fully establishing itself as an Akron icon.
With a second screen, we’ll be able to double our screenings, reach new audiences, start more conversations, and expand our presence as a community gathering place. I’m beyond excited for The Nightlight to start this new chapter.
WE’RE A COMMUNITY-CENTERED CINEMA.
Without your support, we couldn’t be here.
For a decade, The Nightlight Cinema has been a testament to the power of community and the love of film. The heartfelt memories and bold visions shared above — not to mention the many cinematic memories made over the years — are a testament to our enduring impact.
As we embark on the next chapter, we invite you to join us in celebrating and supporting The Nightlight's journey.
You support The Nightlight when you join, give, and share!
JOIN
Become a member and help keep the world’s best arthouse films coming to Akron!
GIVE
Show your support for cinema in Akron with a gift, one-time or ongoing. When you give, you help shape the future of our city’s film community.
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