In 1992, Rocky Friedman made his dream come true when at long last he managed to reopen the Rose with the help of Phil Johnson and hordes of volunteers.

Leader file photo

The curtain is rising on a new era of ownership at the Rose Theatre in Port Townsend.

Cast in the role of new owners are Port Townsend’s own George Marie and Michael D’Alessandro.

The married couple were announced alongside retiring owner Rocky Friedman at a free screening Sunday for members of the Rose Theatre.

“George and Michael were the very first people who requested a walkthrough and a sit down discussion,” said Friedman in a recent interview with The Leader.

After 30 years of toiling in the shadow of cinema to revitalize the Rose and bring it to a fuller bloom than ever, Friedman knew he’d found the right caretakers.

“I very, very distinctly remember after it was over and they left, thinking, ‘Wow, I could sell to them,” Friedman said.

“I remember the day I decided to open a movie theatre in Port Townsend, to be committed to it … I had that same awareness, that same knowledge, about these people.”

And though he said it was an easy decision, the task of turning over his life’s work was no small thing.

“I realized that selling the theatre was a much bigger thing than opening the theatre. Thirty years ago it was an idea that I had and came to fruition with the help of so many people, but now it has a life of 30 years and 30 years of my life. And it’s hugely emotional,” Friedman said.

OLD VINES

The Rose first opened in 1904 as a vaudeville house on Water Street before moving to its current location in 1907, where it transitioned into a nickelodeon. Soon it was playing silent films, “talkies” and finally, Technicolor flicks.

In 1958 it shuttered, and Port Townsend let the Rose fade on the vine.

Friedman, who grew up in the Pacific Northwest and left only for film school in L.A., returned with a dream to open a small cinema. He spent nearly a decade searching for the perfect venue in Port Townsend.

Then, in 1991, Friedman was approached by Phil Johnson, who grew up attending movies at the Rose and wanted to see it restored and reopened.

With Johnson’s backing, local artisans and volunteers contributed to the massive restoration project required and the Rose reopened on July 11, 1992.

With a history with such deep roots, despite Friedman’s initial certainty, he didn’t immediately pull the trigger, choosing to do his due diligence by listening to what others might offer.

Still, that early conversation made an impression.

“What impressed me about them to begin with was their excitement about it and enthusiasm about taking over and becoming the next stewards of the Rose Theatre,” Friedman said. “They want to be the next caretakers.”

Friedman and his daughter Renata received more than 30 inquiries from buyers.

Still, they kept circling back, Friedman said.

The new owners have lived in Port Townsend for eight years, and like Friedman’s daughter did before taking off on her acting career, two of their children already work at the theatre.

“Our kids have grown up in that theatre and will continue to grow up in that theatre,” D’Allesandro said.

BEGINNING TO BLOSSOM

Marie and D’Alessandro had known Friedman for years, having both worked in the arts locally in different roles, and a mutual friend who worked for the theatre passed along a tip before the announcement of the Rose going up for sale was even made public.

“I was probably one of the first people to know outside of Rocky’s immediate circle that the Rose was selling. And I said, ‘Let’s buy it. I am in,” Marie recalled. “From that moment, I was sold on it. I was sold on it before Rocky even put it up for sale.”

Making sure the theatre would be cared for in the longterm was the most important thing for Friedman, he said. His mission was to find whoever would be best for the longevity of the theatre.

“They’re absolutely committed to Port Townsend,” Friedman said.

Their passion for the community is clear in their work for organizations like Olympic Angels, an organization supporting children in foster care in Jefferson and Clallam counties, where D’Allesandro serves as co-executive director; as well as Centrum where Marie has helped run the Port Townsend Writers Conference.

“The Rose isn’t just about movies,” Marie said. “It’s the heart of this community. It’s something that brings people together and makes them feel connected.”

“Nobody can own that,” she added. “That’s something that gets built together.”

TILLING THE SOIL

Both have also had their own creative projects with writing and storytelling at the forefront. In recent years, family and their professional lives have taken priority, but the necessity of creativity has never left them.

This new adventure offers them a chance to take the history they’ve been handed with respect and carry it forward with vision.

“It’s really important to me to do things with a lot of integrity and to do them thoughtfully,” Marie said. “And to recognize that whatever I do, I’m here for a short period of time and my job is to walk with the past and keep the past with me and let it inform me as I work and to be able to pass it on to the future and to walk with the future.”

The past may have its lessons, and as he retires, Friedman now has the wisdom that comes with the constantly changing seasons.

“I don’t want my tenure at the Rose Theatre to be handled as anything that’s precious,” he said.

He’s looking forward to what the future might hold.

“They have to put their own imprint on it, and I find that exciting because I’m waiting to see what it is,” Friedman said.

“I want them to be more successful than I have. I want them to do things that at my age I don’t have the energy to do any longer. I want someone with fresh, new ideas and I think I’ve found it in these two people,” he added.

After the isolation and loneliness of the pandemic, the new owners see this moment as an opportunity.

“What are the visions we’re going to help bring into this town? What can we contribute? How can we carry people through? How can we bring them together especially after a really dark time?” Marie asked.

“We deserve to heal from that and feel connected again,” she said.