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PAGE 12 â€" WaTERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, MARCHK 31, 1982 *‘We get a lot of senior citizens who are very selective about where they go and what they do, and 1 find that a compliment that they come to this theatre. 1 think I get more senior citizens perhaps than most of the other theatres in this area Ryan says his audiences come from the whole region between Guelph and Cambridge The Waterloo‘s current feature, Chariots Of Fire, is in its eighth week and is attracting "a lot of families." ‘"Again," says Ryan,. "that‘s very nice to see, because you don‘t see that many families going to a movie these days. ‘‘This has been the one picture that I‘ve received the most compliments about. I‘ve had a lot of people who didn‘t like it too, but most people will not come up and say. ‘I like this picture.‘ A lot of them have been doing just that, however, for this one. They tell me., ‘That‘s a good movie. You should play more Ryan points out. however, that it is not the manager of the theatre who selects the movies that play there. For the Waterloo Theatre, for example, the choice of picture is made in Toronto at the head office of the Premier Operating Corporation Ltd. ‘‘*Most of the clientele that we have at this theatre are very regular customers. In other words, they are here for almost every movie we play, and their comments are usually the same: ‘When the Waterloo plays a movie, we usually know that it‘s a good movie.‘ He says he‘s often been asked whether the movies which play at his theatre reflect an effort to woo the university audience. "I can‘t really think of too many pictures, other than one like A Clockwork Orange and the Woody Allen movies and some of the highâ€"class fantasy movies, like Wizards, that were aimed specifically for the universities. "I‘m very selective about the pictures I go see, and if the picture‘s no good I feel quite offended, even though 1 might see it for free. And I ask myself, what if I was paying $8.50 for a couple tickets, what would my attitude be then about going to see another show at that theatre? 1 think this is what‘s happening with a lot of people."‘ "If we ever run a movie that is lower calibre than what we usually run, I‘m actually embarrassed. I would like to hide. I would like to not even be around, or not even mention the fact that I work here. ""I‘m quite proud of the fact that, most of the time, we play good movies, and when we do play a movie that‘s not of the high calibre that I‘m used to, it‘s quite downgrading. But over the years, the Waterloo Theatre has been the showplace for mainly Aâ€"type, first run movies of the sort that attract what Ryan refers to as "the more selective audiences." The 35â€"yearâ€"old Ryan, who has been managâ€" ing the 512â€"seat movie house for 10 years now, says that when he goes out to see a movie he wants to go to a nice theatre and be entertained by a good picture. And, he feels, that‘s the kind of reputation that brings more and more people every year to his theatre. By Victor Stanton Dave Ryan, manager of the Waterloo Cinema, wants nothing less for his clientele than what he himself demands as a selective movieâ€"goer. Selective audiences _ keep coming back, says cinema manager WATERLOO THEATRE Senior citizens frequent customers Showplace for ‘A‘â€"type movies And, he relates gleefully, he also realized his dream of going to Mexico. ‘"And the president of what was then Kitchener Theatres saw what an eager little beaver 1 was and asked me one afternoon if I would ever be interested in becoming a manager, and J said, ‘Yes, I would really like After two summer seasons as usher, he began his management training and the following season was assistant manager at the Sunset "I did everything in my power to earn enough money to go to Mexico. So, besides my night time ushering job I worked daytimes painting fences, making fences, picking up garbage It was his "childhood fantasy‘‘ of travelling to Mexico, however, that led directly to his advancement in the cinema business. ‘"By the time we got home, which was no more than three miles away, there had been a phone call for us from the manager and we phoned him back and were hired." ‘‘Back in 1967, a friend and I were driving by the Sunset Driveâ€"In and we both wanted a little bit of extra money. So, we popped in there and asked the guy if he needed any ushers. Ryan, a native of Newfoundland who has lived in this area since he was 15, describes his becoming a theatre manager as happening "‘quite by chance." During his 10â€" year tenure, the best attended movie at the Waterloo has been American Graffiti, which played to 66,000 people during 17 weeks. The largest audience for a single week of showings during the theatre‘s 40â€" yearâ€" history was 10,000 for The Muppet Movie. "I hate like hell to make people line up outside in the cold in winter, but there‘s not much I can do about it.‘ *‘That‘s because, when we first open with them we‘re very busy and I‘m forced to hear and see them in bits and pieces and I don‘t have time to actually sit down and watch it from beginning to end. Then, later on, I know what the movie‘s about and I‘m not interested in seeing it anymore." Ryan says that his favorite kinds of movies are war movies and mysteries, but that he seldom sits down and watches the pictures he‘s showing. **‘Some people think they can buy their tickets and walk straight into the theatre, even though the theatre is full. But when I have a houseful of 500 people, my number one concern is their safety, and if people are standing in the lobby I couldn‘t get those 500 out should I have an emergency. One of the things that Ryan is most proud about is that he‘s never had any vandalism, "*not even a broken toilet bowl." ‘‘Criticism of any particular movie â€" like I got a lot of negative response to Mel Brooks‘ History Of The World Part 1 â€" is really the least area of complaints. ‘"The biggest area of complaints has to do with people having to wait outside to get into the next show. movies like that that is really entertaining.‘ **And of course that‘s a pat on the back you wouldn‘t believe." _ _â€" One of the things a theatre manager has to get used to, says Ryan, is taking verbal abuse. Best attended movie was American Graffiti Known as ‘an eager little beaver‘ Nexus toured Japan in 1976 where they were praised for musical exâ€" cellence. In 1978, under African ceremonial tunes, Russian and Mexican folk songs, ragtime rhythms, fife and drum music, and the soft bellâ€"sounds of the Orient are some of the influences which provide the pervading flavor of Nexus. The group was formed in 1971 when six professional and sucâ€" cessful musicians joined together to pool their talents and their vast collection of inâ€" struments gathered from around the world. They combined their backgrounds in jazz, symphonic and conâ€" temporary music with the indigenous music of many cultures to proâ€" duce their unique moâ€" saic of sound. The music of Nexus is unlike any other â€" a world apart and yet tied to the world‘s culâ€" tures. Nexus will be visiting the University of Waâ€" terloo (UW) on Saturâ€" day, April 3 and will perform three concerts in the Humanities Theatre. They are called Nexus, and they are one of North America‘s premier percussion enâ€" semble. At 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Nexus will give special performances for children from ages 8 to 12, explaining the music and rhythms from other lands. At 8 p.m. a full concert for adults will be presentâ€" Their music has been called ‘"mysterious and lovely, Oriental and Occidental, companiâ€" able and other worldâ€" y." Mysterious sound of Nexus comes to UW Waterioo Theatre manager Dave Ryan in the cinema‘s projection room. Billy Connolly: Scotland‘s answer to George Carlin A Glasgow native, Connolly hit upon the magical formula of mixing humor with his guitar act while he was touring in the 1960s. This winning combina tion made him a pheâ€" nomenal success on subsequent tours through Scotland, Engâ€" land and North Ameri ca. Connolly‘s unique sense of humor and A sellâ€"out success wherever he performs, Connolly, with his unâ€" conventional, witty routines and unortho dox appearance, is Scotland‘s answer to George Carlin. For bawdy and outâ€" rageous Scottish humor at its best, area residents are invited to join Billy Connolly at The Centre in the Square on Wednesday, April 7 at 8 p.m. the auspices of the British Arts Council and the Canadian Deâ€" partment of External Affairs, Nexus toured England, performing for enthusiastic audiâ€" ences and critics. This season Nexus will headline the Coâ€" logne Festival in West Germany which will be broadcast by WDR (German National Radio), will make a tour of the Southern U.S., and in January of 1983 will make their second tour of Japan Also that year they performed with the Toâ€" ronto Symphony and the Rochester Philharâ€" monic. A freewheeling per former, Billy Connolly has succeeded in what he set out to do in creating his down to earth humor â€" ‘"making peopie look at themâ€" selves and laugh their heads off." Having madg his mark with recordings and television appear ances, he has now also conquered the film world by coâ€"starring with Richard Burton in the awardâ€"winning film Absolution . bizarre cast of comic characters have made him a soughtâ€"after per former at Burns cele bra!ions‘ and at the Edinburgh Fringe Theatre Festival. He has matched wits with such famous co medians as Peter Cook and members of the Monty Python team on variety specials. Afternoon concerts are $2.50 for children and seniors, $3 for all others. Evening conâ€" cert tickets are $6.50 (students/seniors $5). Nexus made the inâ€" triguing soundtrack for the Academy Award winning documentary The Man Who Skied Down Everest. and provided the approâ€" priately exotic music for the opening cereâ€" monies of the Royal Ontario Museum‘s Peruvian exhibit. ""Gold for the Gods®" in Toronto and will be part of a cultural exchange proâ€" gram with mainland China.