By Jeromiah Taylor

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Multiple Wichita arts & culture nonprofits announce leadership changes

• The Tallgrass Film Alliance and Melanie Addington, its former executive director, have parted ways after a five-year tenure during which Addington oversaw five Tallgrass Film Festivals and launched the Tallgrass Film Center, a year-round microcinema located inside The Lux apartment building in downtown Wichita. Addington moved to Kansas from Mississippi, where she helmed the Oxford Film Festival. Addington says she hopes to stay in the area and is looking for Wichita-based or remote gigs in marketing, leadership, or the nonprofit sector. Sierra Franklin-Morton, who joined Tallgrass as assistant director in 2024, will serve as interim executive director. In a press release, the organization said all major activities in 2025 — including its 23rd film festival — will go on as scheduled.
• The Kansas African American Museum announced the resignation of Denise Sherman, who has served as the museum's executive director for six years. She is leaving to pursue a role in higher ed. Amy Williams will serve as the interim executive director. "In 2023, under Sherman’s leadership, the museum announced plans to relocate from their existing facility in the historic Calvary Baptist Church to the former Sunflower Bank Building at 201 N. Main St. in downtown Wichita." (Bonita Gooch for The Voice)
• Wichita Festivals Inc., the non-profit organization behind Wichita's Riverfest and other community events, has hired BreAnna Monk as its new president and chief executive officer. Monk brings more than a decade of WFI volunteer committee experience in addition to a career heavy on operations. Notably, she's the organization's first Black president and CEO.

Boulevard Old Town a respite for downtown-adjacent movie junkies who miss the big screen at Second and Mead

It felt like the end of an era when the Regal Warren Old Town closed its doors in the summer of 2023. We regularly snuggled into a booth on the house-right side of the tiered Showcase theater for a couple glasses of wine and a feature. Living adjacent to downtown, we loved having a cinema just minutes from home. For 20 years it was a big part of my life: Tallgrass Film Festival’s first screening location, my place to see new releases while eating warm pretzels and beer cheese, and where I experienced the film version of “Cats,” the most unintentionally hilarious musical ever.  

Imagine my joy when I heard that Ryan Blasdel and Tyler Cooper (who own Boulevard Town West), were reopening the Old Town Square anchor as Boulevard Old Town. They are currently in a soft-opening phase, offering a variety of first-run screenings. We chose the 1 p.m. New Year's Eve screening of “A Complete Unknown” (thumbs up) at the matinee price of $10 for adults. As we bought our tickets in the renovated lobby, we had the opportunity to add concessions from grab-and-go cases, indulge in endless popcorn, or chose drinks from a beverage dispenser with an insane number of options. 

So armed, we headed to one of the stadium-style smaller theaters — clean and in freshly spruced-up condition — where we joined a handful of fellow movie fans. While the sound during previews was strangely loud, it was soon adjusted, and we enjoyed the excellent screening quality we had come to cherish. It was great to be back! 

The owners have big plans, including further tech upgrades and expanding food and drink options. Streaming at home can never compare to a trip to the cinema. If that's your jam too, don’t sleep on supporting the Boulevard Old Town. It’s the only way we movie fans can help keep the marquee lights glowing. —Teri Mott

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