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Topic: Rio Vancouver hosts World Cup bradcast screenings
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Ron Keillor
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 166
From: Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Registered: Jul 2003
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posted 06-02-2006 02:46 PM
Dan Stinson, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, June 02, 2006
The newly renovated Rio on Broadway theatre will feature 25 televised games from the first phase of the 2006 World Cup Soccer tournament in Germany this month as part of a fundraising drive for charity.
Eleven Commercial Drive restaurants and cafes, as well as the Vancouver Whitecaps, will also participate in "Soccerio on Commercial Drive," launched Thursday as the countdown continues to the June 9-July 9 soccer tournament.
The focus of the venture is the historic Rio theatre at 1660 East Broadway, which was built in 1938 and reopened on May 5 after two years of extensive renovations.
The theatre will feature 25 televised World Cup matinee games during the initial group stage of the tournament, which runs from June 9 to June 24. During that stage, 32 teams divided into eight groups will play each other, with the two top teams from each group emerging to go on to the next round of play.
Admission to the theatre is by a $5 donation, with all proceeds going to the SOS Children's Villages B.C. and Canada charity foundations.
SOS Children's Villages is an international charity that raises funds to help children in need around the globe. It's the official charity of this year's World Cup tournament.
"We look at the reopening of the theatre as a community asset," said Mukesh Goyal, the principal owner and director of the theatre.
"As a community asset, we want to do as much as possible to help those in need in the community and throughout Canada. The World Cup gives us an ideal opportunity to do just that."
Goyal funded a $2-million renovation of the theatre, raising seating capacity to 458 and installing a new 12-metre-wide screen. He has also invested in digital projection equipment, and is donating theatre space and staffing to make the event possible.
For World Cup games, the theatre will have 20 surround-sound speakers installed. Each of the 25 games at the theatre is scheduled to kick off at noon and will be broadcast in high definition. The theatre will carry the Sportsnet and TSN live broadcasts, which originate from Germany on the BBC network.
Joining the Rio theatre in the charity venture are 11 Commercial Drive establishments -- Abruzzo Cappuccino Bar, Bouyzos Greek Taverna, Caffe Napoli, Cafe Roma, Dolce Amore, Exotico Brazil Cafe, Falconettis, Fets Pasta Bar & Grill, La Rocca Ristorante Italiano, the Portuguese Club of Vancouver, and Riddim & Spice.
Each establishment will accept $5 donations, which will go to the SOS Children's Villages fund.
The Soccerio mantra is "friends, food and football" during the month-long tournament.
"The Commercial Drive community will come alive as it usually does for World Cup soccer," said Soccerio co-chair Corrado Lenzi.
"The special twist making Soccerio possible is the Rio on Broadway. We're convinced the one-two punch of the Rio as a flagship venue and the formal presentation of a festival will bring people together along the Drive."
Other officials involved in the venture are Marijoel Cramer of the Commercial Drive Business Society, Carmen D'Onofrio Jr., a former Vancouver 86ers player who serves as president of the society, and honorary co-chairs Alfredo Valente and Candace Chapman, players with the Whitecaps men's and women's teams, respectively.
The Whitecaps' involvement includes club players and officials, who will introduce each World Cup game at the Rio Theatre, explaining its importance and the key players involved.
"When I was a kid, I always watched big soccer games on the Drive," said Valente, a 25-year-old, Burnaby-born midfielder now in his ninth season with the Whitecaps.
"More often than not, I came in a car full of Italians, who were honking the horn. The Drive is absolutely the best place to watch soccer games. All the ethnic communities get together in different restaurants and cafes, and soccer kind of brings everyone together.
"That's especially true during the World Cup," added Valente. "Even though different people are supporting different teams, there's a galvanizing effect because the bottom line is watching the best level of soccer."
Bob Lenarduzzi, the Whitecaps' director of soccer operations, recalled visiting Commercial Drive with some trepidation during the 2004 European Nations Cup championship tournament, when upstart Greece defeated Portugal in the final game.
"A lot of Portugal fans gather on the Drive and I was sure that there would be some very upset people," Lenarduzzi said. "But it was nothing like that. There seemed to be a universal sense of enjoyment among the fans after they had watched a very good soccer tournament."
danstinson@shaw.ca
Really Long Link
The area is one with a lot of Italian/Spanish/Latino residents, and this promotion should do a lot to make this independantly operated theatre visible. (rk)
[ 06-03-2006, 01:08 AM: Message edited by: Adam Martin ]
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