Another Independent Maine Cinema Is Fighting For Its Life

BRUNSWICK, Maine — Barry Norman kept many balls in the air during the past eight-plus years in his effort to keep Eveningstar Cinema viable. The beloved independent theater in the Tontine Mall, which turns 40 this year, continues to pop its own corn, served with real butter, which patrons can enjoy with craft beer while sitting on squishy couches. To keep the theater current, Norman, now 61, dug into his retirement savings and went into debt to replace the reel-to-reel projector with a digital projector, add seating and replace the carpet. He’s held fundraisers and hatched plans to expand into a multi-screen theater with, perhaps, an adjacent brewpub. He’s carefully selected films to delight the particular demographic — part Bowdoin College professor, part artist, part retiree — that stops in for a matinee after lunch at nearby Wild Oats Bakery. Hundreds — even thousands?