Catch a ReRun

Jason Stevens opened ReBar on Front and Jay Streets in Brooklyn’s Dumbo neighborhood three-and-a-half years ago. A former investment banker, Stevens was looking to utilize his creative side in a way that his job at Merrill Lynch just didn’t allow. Built on the site of the Grand Union Tea Company, Stevens’ ReBar was voted by Time Out New York in 2007 to be the “Best New Bar.” And starting in mid-July, the ReBar has opened its own in-house movie theater.

The ReRun Theater, which screens films on Blu-Ray and DVD with stereo sound, has a seating capacity of 60 people. To the right of the minivan seats that Stevens installed in the theater is a fully stocked bar, open only before and after films to comply with NYS liquor laws. Aside from some quality “adult beverages,” as Mr. Stevens put it, attendants can also expect a light menu of gourmet popcorn and hot dogs, including duck confit sausage.

Stevens readily admitted that the idea for a “Gastropub” combination bar and theater isn’t one he came up with, but rather one that he thinks takes already existing modes of entertainment and improves them. “The whole movie theater [business] model is very antiquated,” Stevens says. “You walk in, you pay an arm and a leg for junk food, and that’s the whole experience. My thought is, ‘Why not make it nicer?’”

Stevens went on to say that both ReBar and ReRun cater to both “very wealthy” Dumbo residents and those who commute to work in the neighborhood. That mix of haves and have-nots is part of the rationale behind Stevens’ design for the bar’s decor and its eclectic menu. “We’ve got a very high-end feel, but I built the whole thing out of junk,” he says. “Everything is re-used. Remodeled old city park benches, hubcaps, fireplace covers. We’ve kept the place very real and the prices way down. It was always a $5 draft and it’s two bucks off during happy hour, so it’s a $3 pint of beer until 7 p.m. That’s kind of hard to beat. So the people who live in Dumbo like us because it’s fancy, and the people who work in Dumbo like us because we’re fairly priced and we’re pretty mellow.”

Aaron Hillis, film critic, vice president of indie film distribution label Benten Films and now programmer of the ReRun, confirmed that the theater’s programming will be similarly comprehensive, a mix of old films and new independents. “It’ll definitely be all over the map. I’m going to be doing a lot of undistributed [titles] and films that haven’t been distributed very well,” he says. “That’s the greatest pragmatism as far as film culture is concerned. I can also deal with filmmakers and producers directly, and I don’t have to deal with studios or distributors or sales agents who can make the process go on and on. But down the road, I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot of repertory film programming as well.” > For more information, visit [www.reruntheater.com](http://www.reruntheater.com/).