(Airdate: October 5, 2021) Our Town host Maryanne McNellis interviews Rocky Friedman, the owner of the Rose Theatre in Port Townsend. Rocky fell in love with movies at a young age. After graduating from USC’s famed Film School, he decided that his future was not as a star but as a great screenwriter. Rocky and his wife ultimately moved to Port Townsend – a great place to write. But Rocky soon realized that the town was ripe for a special kind of movie theater. He spent seven long years researching and scheming. Oddly enough, he never even realized that the glory of the original 1907 Rose Theatre was lurking behind cheap remodels. The old tin ceiling and murals were carefully restored before opening in 1992. The Rosebud followed in 1995 and the adult venue Starlight Room opened in 2013. Then came the pandemic and Rocky – like all business owners – faced the trauma of shutdown. A “go-fund-me” campaign helped him hold on through the 499 days of closure. But the Rose is now back and Rocky is loving returning with the movies he loves. (Did you know he personally picks which movies run at the Rose?)
