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Mike StevensSBJ photo by JAMES PHINNEY
Mike Stevens

SBJ photo by JAMES PHINNEY

Moxie adds cultural layer to community

Posted online
As executive director, Mike Stevens may be the face of downtown theater Moxie Cinema, but he is quick to point out that the community is the art house's driving force.

Stevens sat down this morning with Springfield Business Journal Editor Eric Olson as part of its monthly 12 People You Need to Know breakfast series at Hilton Garden Inn.

Though he carries an executive role, Stevens answers primarily to Downtown Springfield Community Cinema, a nonprofit organization under the umbrella of Community Foundation of the Ozarks. Stevens noted the nonprofit has applied for its 501(c)3 status, which would allow it to gradually become independent from its "fiscal agent" CFO.

But Stevens recognizes the service that CFO provides for the Downtown Springfield Community Cinema organization, which purchased the Moxie from founders Dan and Nicole Chilton in August.

"(CFO) volunteered to do the thing that we couldn't do - act as a nonprofit before we become a 501(c)3," Stevens said. "They've been very generous with their time and their facilities. We couldn't have done this without them."

The theater-turned-nonprofit move is quickly becoming a trend in the art house field, Stevens said, largely due to smaller, independent theaters having trouble remaining fiscally sustainable without the support of certain grants and incentives.

"I take it very seriously that even though we're a nonprofit, we still have to stay in business," Stevens said.

With that in mind, Stevens, the board of the Downtown Springfield Community Cinema and the theater's film booker must keep a balance between indie flicks and nationally recognizable films.

The Moxie scored big players "Black Swan," "127 Hours" and "The Kids Are All Right," but it also was able to bring in films such as the documentary "Waiting for 'Superman,'" and "Cyrus." Stevens pointed to "Winter's Bone" as a healthy mix between big and small, as it falls in the film noir genre but still received mass viewership across the country.

"('Winter's Bone') killed for us even though it had been out for eight weeks," he said, jokingly adding, "The booker said, 'Mike, you've got to let it go - because it's coming out on DVD tomorrow.'"

As a small theater, the Moxie generally isn't able to keep up with industry trends such as digital projectors and 3-D films, but Stevens said that is part of the appeal, pointing to the Moxie's 40- and 50-year-old projectors and its adult atmosphere.

Stevens said he is cautious against sweeping conversions to digital projectors because the expensive technology may have a short shelf life. But the largest growing threat to cinema is online video streaming services such as Netflix, he said.

"Our biggest challenge is the couch," Stevens said.

He said one of the nicest thing about the theater is that its niche and committed fan base allows the Moxie's employees to take risks with its selections, relying on water-cooler conversations and its Web site, www.moxiecinema.com, to spread word.

"Sometimes, it's more than just getting butts in seats," Stevens said, noting the theater's showing of art films makes it a cultural center as well as an entertainment venue. "Sometimes you have to fall on your sword."[[In-content Ad]]

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