Kip Kelly
Kip Kelly and the Tale of the Beverly Theater
BY SAM NOVAK
Las Vegas is a city of lights, music, vision, and possibilities. People come here to fulfill dreams and to foster new ones. It’s a place where artists can thrive in a boundary-free vibe. It’s also a place where a combination of talent and resources lends itself uniquely well to the cinematic arts.
It’s true that Vegas has become a small-scale Hollywood of sorts. Independent filmmakers reap the benefits of scenic desert surroundings, sometimes garish architecture, and iconic landmarks. Its locals are budding models, singers, actors, and athletes who clamor to be immortalized on the big screen, and producers love the endless sunshine and work ethic.
Despite a wealth of art galleries, concert halls, and intimate stages, the city lacks a proper venue to display cinematic artistry. That’s why The Beverly Theater was conceived. Upon its completion in early 2023, The Beverly Theater will be the first and only purpose-built home for independent cinema in Las Vegas.
For some, the designation of cinema as “art” suggests the cerebral and impenetrable, such as the works of Federico Fellini and Terrence Malick. But independent filmmakers carry an urgent and contemporary voice that mainstream films often lack. So, it’s only fitting that The Beverly Theater has turned to a youthful visionary.
Kip Kelly is the face and guiding force behind this venture. His playful, all-American name might evoke images of a star quarterback or a charismatic class president. That assumed countenance is not too far from the gentleman himself. With an athletic build, glowing smile, and easygoing personality, the affable Kelly is as self-deprecating as he is confident.
One wouldn’t expect a veteran of Sin City’s nightclub industry to guide a prestigious arts-driven project, but Kip Kelly isn’t your typical businessman. The Texas-born former Arizonan entered the music scene as a deejay. A desire to start an entertainment business brought him to the Las Vegas area a decade ago.
Along the way, Kelly broadened his horizons to direct marketing and communications for several firms and entertainment venues. In 2022, he was selected as “Founding Creative Director” for The Beverly Theater. His unique qualifications were heralded by its namesake, Beverly Rogers. “Kip’s breadth of knowledge and entertainment experience, combined with his unbridled enthusiasm for creative collaboration, make him the perfect choice to shepherd the vision for this project,” she stated in May last year.
Kelly refers to his responsibilities as a “Golden Ticket” of opportunity. As such, he’s been tireless in his efforts to make The Beverly Theater the natural bridge between the city’s burgeoning Arts District and its historic yet hip Downtown.
During a hectic holiday season, Kelly and his team relentlessly prepared for an early 2023 unveiling. Despite a myriad of rapidly approaching deadlines, he found time to talk with CHIC COMPASS Magazine about his pivotal role in the history-making project.
Kip Kelly
CHIC COMPASS: After describing yourself as a “second-rate deejay,” you developed a philosophy regarding how much you’d devote to an effort before moving on. Can you tell us how you came to that realization?
KELLY: “My motivation has always been to find something I love and could be the best at. That’s not to say that what I’m doing now I’m the best. I see potential to becoming the best, and by that, I mean more of a marketer, a producer, a backstage programmer.”
“I really miss playing music for people. I loved the artist’s selection and the response when selecting the right song. But, you know, I’m where I am now, offstage and backstage, and that’s where my strengths lie. I have the opportunity to be the best at that and the support to do it.”
CHIC COMPASS: The Beverly Theater is, first and foremost, a home for independent films, giving them a voice rarely seen in Las Vegas. It is also a companion venue to The Writer’s Block, which serves a similar purpose for the literary world. How do cinematic and literary arts intertwine beyond the familiar bestseller-to-blockbuster pattern?
KELLY: “We are an independent film house, but the live component is part of that story. There are things in this theater you would not see in a typical indie film house, and it’s really all designed to be performance-based.”
“There’s a lot of lead-ins with directors writing books, publishing screenplays and scripts, and some of them tie into older films. A film released twenty years ago might just now have been published. Or the director or somebody else wants to write a book about their experience.”
“We have opportunities to feature a book, director, or author, then immediately have everyone experience it (the film) on the big screen. With The Writer’s Block next door, it just makes sense.”
Kip Kelly at The Beverly Theater
CHIC COMPASS: As a film house, concert scene, and storytelling arena, The Beverly will be more than just a screening venue. So, it will host social gatherings, premieres, music, and literary events, correct?
KELLY: “We want to be a true storytelling arena, which is really what we want to plant our flag in. We want to tell stories through film, our concerts, our performances, and the literary things we do. So as a true storytelling arena, it’s the ideal collaboration to have The Writers Block come in and help us with programming.”
“They do a lot of great events, and we’re going to create more with them and pair the films with some of the things they do or the books they might have on their shelves.”
“There’s a lot of outstanding indie films that were books first, and we’re working on a lot of that. I think people will be excited to understand that book-to-film loop.”
CHIC COMPASS: Now that you’ve been promoted to Chief Experience Officer, do you anticipate drawing on your entertainment and nightlife marketing expertise, or will this be uncharted territory?
KELLY: “I’m no stranger to booking events and venues. Where this will be different is the type of venue that we’re able to offer artists, touring bands, and acts who want to reach the Las Vegas market and not just our visiting economy.”
“We have a place Downtown that’s easily accessible. It’s really for the people who live here…the Las Vegas community, and gives people a chance to play in front of what we hope is the actual Las Vegas demographic.”
“Being that this venue is so flexible, this is uncharted territory for the industry. You don’t typically have concert theaters that show films three days a week. You also don’t typically have art houses that can flex into an industry-standard performance house or concert scene. The venue’s design is uncharted, so by definition, how we program it will be uncharted.”
“Candidly, we’re trying to create a model and prove a concept. Our goal is to ‘eventize’ everything that we do. A lot of venues are pigeonholed as “exhibitors.” If we show a film that doesn’t open so well, we have enough programming and events coming in after that to “save us.” I think this is the model that most exhibitors will want to copy, especially coming out of the pandemic. I welcome that.”
CHIC COMPASS: Las Vegas now has a growing Arts District and acclaimed repertory theater groups. Was The Beverly Theater envisioned to be a deliberate part of that movement? Or was the time right for Las Vegas to have its own independent cinema?
KELLY: “This was the brainchild of Beverly Rogers. She loves storytelling and is obviously a huge supporter of the arts. She decided there was a hole in Las Vegas. I think she dreamt up a space where independent spirits could live and thrive, and storytelling could be a headlining kind of moment where there wasn’t one before.”
CHIC COMPASS: Beverly Rogers is a self-described “Leader of Champions.” As chairman of The Rogers Foundation, she has been instrumental in fostering local artists while simultaneously helping to fund both educators and students. Why did you feel it was important for The Beverly Theater to carry her name, and how did she react to that decision?
KELLY: “Her name is on a lot of buildings. That isn’t unusual for her. The difference is that it wasn’t some mandated automatic stamp that comes with donating a certain amount of money to an institution. This is more a personal thing.”
“When one hundred percent of the theaters in this country were closed, and most of them didn’t reopen, she was the only one saying, ‘Let’s build a new one.’ There is a revolutionary power to that. My department was liquidated, and we were all wondering what entertainment would look like. For her to put her money where her mouth is…it meant a lot to me, too.”
“I thought that The Beverly Theatre is a great name for a theater, and she deserved that stamp on something so personal to her. I bought all the digital real estate, secured all the handles, bought all the domains, and said, “Here’s what we’re going to call it.” And we all outvoted her because it was the right thing to do. She warmed up to the fact, and now I think she likes it.”
CHIC COMPASS: Cutting-edge electronics are just a few attributes that make The Beverly Theater appealing to film fans and industry professionals. Do you have concerns about technology overshadowing the human elements of art?
KELLY: “Coherent Design (an award-winning firm that has created venues for casinos, hotels, nightclubs, and Allegiant Stadium) has called this “the most technologically-advanced theater of its kind in North America.” All that means is that there are a lot more things to give us flexibility in our programming.”
“I don’t worry about the tech overshadowing the human element of art. I worry a little more about this building being so new that we really have to “warm it up.” Most people aren’t used to a brand-new theater. It’s just not something that happens that often.”
“People are going to feel something when they walk in. They’re going to feel good, but they’re not going to know why. And a lot of it will be because it’s so brand new.”
“We have the ability to support and maximize the creativity of the artists, the filmmaker, or the performer. We have a Meyer Sound system that allows us to mic the entire room. We have retractable seats which give us the ability to extend the capacity of our main theater when we want to.”
“We have a Nana Wall door that opens our theater into the courtyard. We’ll want to bring those spaces together. We have a concession stand and box office designed for grab-and-go-style stuff. Makes it much quicker being a cashless venue. I think it’s something new to art houses but is catching on in the city.”
“One thing you can’t compete with is history. Traditionally, indie film houses are historic—exposed brick walls, and the seats are worn. That’s their character. We can’t just stamp “Established in 1956” on The Beverly Theater … we have to earn it. I want the walls to feel like they’re bursting out with all these things that have happened here. And we’ll get there.”
CHIC COMPASS: The Beverly Theater has three primary areas—the screening room being the most obvious. Could you give us a quick overview of the other two?
KELLY: “SEGUE is our rooftop jazz terrace. We call it our “Modish Overlook on Sixth.” SEGUE will have jazz programming every night of the week. That’s where The Writer’s Block will have most of its events. It’ll have a bar. It’s got some really cool seating, and we think we’ll be a cool place to hang for people who don’t have tickets.”
“That is another thing that’s not traditional to theaters. We wanted to create a space for people who, if they show up and don’t have tickets, we want to welcome them to SEGUE. And maybe they’ll buy a ticket.”
“The Courtyard is on the lower level. It’s more intimate. We’ve got a lot of nice park benches, some trees, and planters. We might have smaller acoustical performances and lighter book readings as we get going. It will be a place where people want to sit and wait until the show starts.”
CHIC COMPASS: Circling back to the lineup of possible films…independent productions, especially those made around Las Vegas, often feature raw talent working with extremely low budgets. As a state-of-the-art facility, will The Beverly Theater welcome the gritty as well as the polished?
KELLY: “If we have a local filmmaker that’s got a great idea for an event and they want to do a premiere, we can make that work. Our projector plays everything. Most of the things from our distribution partners are going to be digital cinema packages. We hope to have the latest and greatest independent film, an excellent repertory program, and some revival cinema.”
CHIC COMPASS: Fremont Street stages like NOTORIETY, INSPIRE, and CHEAPSHOT have become important spots for rising talent. What is it about Downtown Vegas that speaks to independent voices?
KELLY: “A lot has happened downtown in the last ten years; Tony Hsieh was obviously the catalyst for that. Ryan Dougherty created unique spaces that don’t feel casino-driven because they aren’t. There’s a lot less casino culture Downtown than on the Strip.”
“Locals, in general, come here more. It’s an easier “hang,” an easier “park,” and an easier vibe. The Life Is Beautiful music festival is a significant cultural moment for the entire city, but more specifically (because) it happens Downtown. Its footprint is felt the entire year.”
“They’re not just three-day festivals; they’re not just independent bars, and they’re not just one little spot where you can see a show. We’ve done a nice job adding these independent things to create this Downtown fist.”
That “fist” will indeed be felt when The Beverly Theater debuts in early 2023. The location is 515 S. Sixth Street in Downtown Las Vegas. You can follow The Beverly Theater’s grand opening announcement and other events online at TheBeverlyTheater.com.