BUTTE — Located in the heart of Uptown Butte, the Covellite Theatre has been a space of community gathering since it opened almost 130 years ago, first as a church and most recently as an international film festival.
Now, the new owner of the building says that he wants to keep the space open for even more creative possibilities.
"Covellite Theatre is a vibe — you gotta come see it to understand, to be a part of what’s going on here in the community that turns out to support it," says Demetrius Fassas.
Fassas is the owner of the theater and Covellite Presents, a nonprofit that operates in the historic building and he’s proud that the space attracts a wide variety of artists.
On a recent Tuesday night comedic talents, storytellers and musicians of all ages take to the stage to show off their newest work during the weekly Open Mic Night.
"We’ve had a wide variety of bookings and it really is.. It's a community-based venue. We want people to know that we’re here for their ideas," says Fassas.
Covellite Presents brings all types of entertainment to Butte from live music performances to comedy to free movie nights and even art classes with professional artists.
Coming this summer the stage will be open to young thespians — bringing the building back to its creative roots that began in the 1950s.
"So, when the Covellite was originally converted into a performing arts venue, for many years it hosted a myriad of acting troops," says Fassas.
The stage is set for some big names in the music industry with aperformance on March 14th by Jennifer Batten, a rock-and-roll queen who performed with Michael Jackson in the 80’s and in May the Covellite will host Sonja Jabarata, an internationally known African musician.
As a nonprofit, Fasas says he also wants the space to serve as a source of workforce development with a sound and lighting technician training program.
"So workforce development is likely what you’ll see Covellite Presents doing more of in the future as a charitable purpose," says Fassas.
