The best ideas often strike when you’re not expecting them to. Sometimes, they come as the result of a tangentially-related conversation, or as a lightbulb moment in the middle of a shower. However, for Shelby Przybylek, owner of Little Button Craft, and Matt DeTurck, Artistic Director of The Little Theatre, epiphany hit in the form of hundreds of Instagram notifications.
Przybylek, who has been running a self-proclaimed “funky little craft shop in the heart of the South Wedge” for nearly a decade, is no stranger to working alongside local businesses. From hosting crafting meetups at neighbor Abundance Co-Op to partnering with the Free Art Collective to celebrate the Global Day of Art with free in-store activities, Little Button has been a consistent collaborator and facilitator in the Rochester artistic community. However, it never occurred to Przybylek to reach beyond the confines of her local space and create a public craft event until she got spammed with an abundance of tags in an Instagram reel.
The reel was about a lights-on movie theater experience; where crafters could come and work on their projects while enjoying a movie with their peers. “It got sent to me about 100 times,” Przybylek said, referring to the viral video. “I watch a lot of movies while I craft as well.”
The Little Theatre and Little Button Craft both had their accounts flooded with notifications, asking for the same thing to be done downtown — and on Sept. 4, the “Little” Craft Night was born.
Prospective moviegoers were welcome to bring their own crafts or buy supplies from a table Little Button Craft staffed at the theater entrance. On the big screen, the Emma Stone comedy classic “Easy A” provided accompaniment to the art, which ranged from felted animals to hand-knit sweaters and full fiber looms.
Despite only about two weeks of promotion, the craft night was well-received, garnering 75 attendees from a variety of backgrounds and demographics. Among them were University alumni Tiffany Nicholas ’22, Sarah Murphy ’20 (T5), and Abbie Dracon ’12/’16W, who met through the Rochester Youth Year program and rolled up their sleeves to work on various crocheting and knitting projects.
Nicholas was one of the many who “shared the reel with [The Little], obviously,” and was thrilled with the event. “Roc Cinema also did a craft night last week,” they said, “and so I’m glad more places around here are making this happen.”
According to Little Theatre Director of Communications Scott Pukos, events like this are only the beginning for the cinema’s season, which the team hopes will engage with parts of the Rochester community who became less connected with the Theatre as a result of the pandemic.
In particular, Pukos noted an excitement for this upcoming Friday’s Student Night at The Little.
For students with a valid student ID, The Little will be showing both the live-action Scooby Doo (2002) at 6:45 p.m. and a Little Theatre April Fool’s showing smash hit, Hundreds of Beavers (2024), at 9 p.m. for $5 apiece.
Other initiatives that The Little Theatre have bubbling up this fall include their Spooky Season showings in October — including the cult classic Jennifer’s Body — as well as the ImageOut LGBTQ+ Fall Film Festival and the member-only 95th anniversary of the theater.
For students interested in these offerings, a $40 student membership provides members with $6 discount admission tickets, six free admission tickets, and six free popcorns throughout the year. Student tickets with a valid ID cost $7.
“I used to love going to the movies when I was in college,” said Pukos, who went to St. John Fisher for his undergraduate degree. “I’m hoping that we can bring that same love to the students of today.”
