April 28, 2025
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Northwest Herald

1,400 donors help preserve The Catlow theater

By CHERYL WAITY

Roberta Rapata and Tim O'Connor, owners of The Catlow, took to the Internet to raise money to save the historic Barrington theater. (Joe Cyganowski)

To save the historic Catlow theater in Barrington, owners Tim O’Connor and Roberta Rapata turned to some new technology.

For 85 years, The Catlow has stood at 116 W. Main St., and O’Connor and Rapata have guaranteed it will keep showing movies for years to come thanks to more than 1,000 generous donors.

O’Connor and Rapata bought the theater in 1988 to keep it a one-screen theater. It was around this time that large multiplexes were buying one-screen theaters and splitting the space to create two theaters out of the one.

Rapata and O’Connor already owned Boloney’s Sandwich Shop in the same building as the theater, and didn’t want to lose their location to a multiplex. So they bought The Catlow.

This past fall, the owners realized The Catlow needed some equipment upgrades to keep it afloat, so they took to the Internet to help save the theater. Their 35mm film equipment was outdated and needed to be changed over to a digital format.

“The bank didn’t seem real eager to talk to us about acquiring a loan for the digital upgrade, so we started looking for alternate methods,” O’Connor said. “I had read an article about Kickstarter at my dentist’s office, and it seemed like an ideal solution.”

Kickstarter is an online fundraising community where organizations ask for their projects to be funded. Successful recipients have been able to pay for everything from book publishing costs to film production. According to its website, more than $450 million has been pledged funding more than 35,000 projects since its start in 2009.

It turned out that O’Connor and Rapata weren’t the only two people in the greater Barrington area who loved The Catlow enough to save it.

“We had campaigned to raise $100,000.00 for the conversion and associated expenses in preparing the booth, and after we reached that goal in a week’s time, people were asking what else we needed to fix up,” O’Connor said.

The fundraising success was a huge relief to the owners, who were able to save The Catlow for a second time. This time, though, it was with the help of about 1,400 donors.

“The morning when there was $158,000 in our checking account, it was an amazing feeling,” Rapata said.

The pair no longer had to plan far ahead to make much-needed repairs to the theater.

“We could just write a check,” she said.

The theater now has digital picture as well as digital 7.1 sound capabilities. The Catlow is also equipped with a satellite dish that O’Connor says will help the theater provide alternative content that their patrons might be looking for, such as live concert broadcasts or operas.

There was even enough money left over after the conversion and technical upgrades for a few added perks. About 200 new theater seats are on order for the Catlow. The marquee also got a fresh coat of paint, and the owners replaced their popcorn machine.

The fundraising effort has helped keep O’Connor’s and Rapata’s dream alive.

“I had always dreamed of having my own theater and a restaurant one day,” O’Connor said. “When I met Roberta, she shared those same interests, so we pursued our dreams together.”

The Catlow was opened by Wright Catlow in 1927, and has been a staple in Barrington entertainment ever since. The interior design of the Catlow was done by sculptor and designer Alfonso Iannelli, and The Catlow was placed on the National Register of Historic places in 1989.

“It’s been there providing affordable entertainment for the longest time,” O’Connor said. “Up until the early 90s, it was the only movie theater around for miles, so it was a huge draw for the surrounding communities as well – and it continues to be today.”