Cinema Under the Stars Kicks Off Summer Series with "All That Jazz"

A small crowd gathered around the Meadow Amphitheatre in the Tamanend Park woods Saturday evening for a screening of the 1979 classic, All That Jazz.    

Organized by Arthur Greisiger, a veteran of the stage who recently moved back to Bucks County, the moonlit showing of All That Jazz was the first of several that will take place over the summer.

Cinema Under The Stars, as Greisiger has coined it, is scheduled to run bi-monthly straight through October.  Movies being shown will span decades of American film, from the Errol Flynn classic, Captain Blood, to Mel Gibson’s, The Patriot. 

“The idea is to have it be like a drive-in movie theater,” said Greisiger.  “Without the driving.”    

For Greisiger, the amount of work that’s gone into his construction of the Meadow Amphitheatre has been a labor of love.  It’s also something he thinks could engage the Southampton community.  A community that, let’s face it, doesn’t have much going for it as far as entertainment goes.

“I moved back to Southampton and really, nothing was going on here,” said Greisiger.  

So, with his own money and labor (and some help from his wife and friends), Greisiger constructed a stage on top of an open patch of land in the park.  

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” said Greisiger.  “I say - if you’re going to do it, do it right.”

Greisiger has indeed done it right.  A small, candle-lit trail leads from Tamanend’s parking lot into the meadow.  The entire glade is surrounded by torches, with a professionally-built stage tucked into the back, up against the forest wall.  A bar can also be found there, offering snacks and refreshments.    

On Saturday, the stage had a large screen stretched across it.  But on many nights you can catch live actors up there performing .  The Meadow Amphitheatre has and will continue to play host to Tamanend’s Shakespeare in the Park and the Autumn Leaves Performance Festival, both of which are run by Greisiger.

“For the past three years I’ve spent every Saturday and Sunday here, constructing the stage, tending the grass” said Greisiger.  Greisiger noted that just maintaining the area takes a great deal of time and energy and although he enjoys the work, a busy theater schedule will keep him from devoting as much time to it as he has in the past.  

Still, Greisiger has big plans for the Amphitheatre. 

“My idea is that this will become a place where actors will come,” he said.  “They can come and hang out here, read with each other and all that.” 

Although Cinema Under the Stars was originally slated to begin on May 7th with a screening of American Graffiti, Greisiger said that inclement weather in one case and licensing issues in another forced the premiere back to June 4th - Saturday’s showing of, All That Jazz.     

But it won’t just be movies every night.  Greisiger is encouraging local performers to come out and display their talents before each film.  

“This year I’m opening up the stage an hour and a half before the film,” he said.  “If anyone wants to come up and perform, they’re free to do that.”

Cinema Under The Stars Schedule

6/18 - Yankee Doodle Dandy

7/2 - The Patriot

7/16 - West Side Story

7/30 - Romeo & Juliet

8/13 - The Music Man

8/27 - Topsy Turvy

9/10 - Showboat

9/24 - Shakespeare in Love

10/8 - Henry the Fifth

10/22 - Captain Blood

10/29 - The Howling

All screenings begin at dusk and are open to the public free of charge.  Donations to help keep the Meadow Amphitheatre and its programs running are accepted.  Local actors are encouraged to arrive early as Greisiger will open the stage 90 minutes before the film for live performances. 

For more info on Cinema Under the Stars, you can visit   http://cinemaunderthestars.blogspot.com/