River Street Theatre to Hold Fundraiser for Villi Poni Farm

The River Street Theatre (RST), a project of The Park Theatre, announced today they are presenting a fundraising screening of the documentary film Where Once They Mattered, for the benefit of Villi Poni Farm on Wednesday, May 31st at 7pm.

The Villi Poni Farm, located on Dublin Road in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, is a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue of Newfoundland ponies, a rare, endangered breed. Villi Poni Farm is not just rescue organization. Their breed stewardship includes not rescuing and taking in ponies that find themselves in difficult positions as well as bringing the breed back from extinction without compromising what makes this pony so special. Incredibly, less than 400 Newfoundland ponies remain in the entire world.

"Villi Poni Farm is a team of passionate, dedicated lovers of these wonderful animals. Their efforts are producing results to ensure this rare beautiful breed does not become extinct. Jaffrey is proud to have the sanctuary in their town. We at The Park Theatre and RST are honored to help them with this benefit screening of a thrilling documentary about the rescue of twenty Newfoundland ponies across the continent of Canada," said Steve Jackson, CEO and Managing Director of The Park Theatre.

Villi Poni Farm will bring Newfoundland ponies to the River Street Theatre parking lot before the screening. Photos and petting of the ponies will begin at 6pm. Raffles for prizes will also be conducted. There will a a talk-back session after the screening of the film with Emily Chetkowski, Executive Director of Villi Poni Farm, and her team.

Tickets for the benefit will cost $10 each. All ticket revenue will be donated to the Villi Poni Farm. More program and schedule information as well as ticket purchases can be found at www.theparktheatre.org or by calling the RST Box Office (603) 532-8888. The after hours box office can be reached by calling OvationTix at (866) 811-4111.

The River Street Theatre is located in downtown Jaffrey, New Hampshire at 6 River Street. The River Street Theatre is sponsored by: Grove Street Fiduciary, Coca-Cola, the Board of Trustees of the Park Theatre, Janet S. Grant, Betty Locke, Owen Houghton and the James F. & Fernande Kelly Charitable Trust.

The new River Street Theatre (or RST) is a project of The Park Theatre. In anticipation of the construction and opening of the new Park Theatre performing arts center, the RST is a small, intimate venue to "bridge" the construction project until the new theatre complex opens. The RST boasts only 28 seats, but it has new, extremely comfortable & upholstered wide seating, HD digital projection plus the best concessions around. Every week the RST presents new independent films, inspiring and educational documentaries, fresh foreign films, ParkKIDS films for children and classic films from Hitchcock to the Coen Brothers. Stage2Screen event cinema includes HD screenings of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Kenneth Branagh Theatre Live, Stratford Festival, StageRussia and The Royal Opera & Royal Ballet. Finally, for live programming, the RST presents plays, music, stand-up comedy, magicians and readings. It makes the claim, "New England's Smallest Theatre... and proud of it." The RST promises programming that is always entertaining, innovative and fresh. Located at the heart of New Hampshire's Mount Monadnock, the RST is a 90 minute drive from downtown Boston.

The Park Theatre first opened in Jaffrey in 1922 and was the center of community life as a movie and vaudeville house for 54 years until it closed in 1976. Purchased by The Park Theatre, Inc. in 2006, it will be rebuilt as a state-of-the-art film and performing arts center, featuring two auditoriums seating 485, presenting movies, live theatre (including children's productions), concerts, and lectures as well as offering a place for business and community gatherings for the Monadnock Region and its 100,000 residents, school districts and dynamic artistic community. The new theatre is scheduled to be opened in 2018. Visit www.theparktheatre.org for more.