Afternoon at the Wenham St. Cinema

MC Chris Antonowich introduces Travels With Brindle.

If you had no idea that there was a cinema on Wenham St. in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, you’re not alone. Meet the Wenham Street Cinema. The DIY destination is really more of a garage with a projector rig than a movie theater, but the experiment in sidewalk cinema is bringing neighbors together in ways the local Cineplex never would.

As CBS Boston dished the venue is the brainchild of owner Matt Shuman. He teamed up with Chris Antonowich, owner of Light of Day Records, to curate a steady schedule of events through the height of the pandemic. The movie nights and musical events provided neighbors with an opportunity to safely meet up and get to know each other while taking in a movie, or music, and noshing on snacks.

On a recent Saturday the Wenham Street Cinema hosted the final installment of its Outdoor Concert Series, featuring artists Beautiful Headquarters, Travels With Brindle, and Hilken Mancini & Chris Colbourn. With Chris emceeing and Matt working the crowd, the triple-stacked bill of local artists graced the stage to the delight of an audience of neighbors, curiosity seekers, and a few canines. The event was sponsored by Sazama Real Estate.

The unique venue presents some unique challenges in terms of traffic. Though the street was permitted for closure during the event, Matt waved through passing vehicles while the audience and artist were safely planted on opposite sidewalks. The distance made it difficult to hear all the nuances of, say, the ukulele work of Travels With Brindle. But other acts cranked up the volume (slightly) louder to make sure the PA was earning its paycheck.

The previous installment of the Outdoor Concert Series included Grace Givertz, Ardao, and Michael Boezi. For news about future events, follow the Wenham Street Cinema’s Instagram and Facebook. 

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