Durham’s newest arthouse theater owes its name to a skeleton.
Film editor Jim Haverkamp and photographer Alex Maness have been friends for 29 years, collaborators on short films, music videos, and the creative event space Shadowbox Studio. Three years ago, they began planning something new: an independent movie theater in the heart of downtown Durham.
One afternoon, while hashing out what the place might become, Maness glanced over Haverkamp’s shoulder. Behind Jim sat a skeleton, borrowed from a friend as a prop for a film they worked on together.
“I was talking to Jim, and I was like, ‘We’re making something really excellent, but also very simple. It’ll be like ‘skin and bones’ in this theater,'” Maness said. “And we both kind of looked at each other and said, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s cool. Maybe that’ll be our name.’ And then it just kind of stuck.”
Skin and Bones, set to open in July on West Parrish Street, will screen independent films and documentaries and host live performances. Haverkamp and Maness envision a flexible, community-minded space that they hope will feel less like a multiplex and more like a living room.
They were always interested in hosting events for Durham creatives, and dabbled in that starting 12 years ago with Shadowbox Studio. That smaller venue hosts live events, serves as a rental space for film shoots and will continue hosting film screenings until Skin and Bones opens.
Their vision for a full-fledged arthouse theater solidified years later by chance.
While filming a friend’s band in the upper stories of a building on West Parrish Street, they noticed the empty floor below. As Haverkamp put it, they both thought to themselves: “Well, this might be our chance.”
They tracked down the landlord, took the leap, and Skin and Bones was born.
“Durham is a pretty big city to only have two movie theaters,” Haverkamp said. “And there are people here making things, and, you know, it would be nice to have a place to show that and try to foster a little bit of community.”
But the theater won’t emphasize your typical Hollywood blockbusters.
“I think that audiences are really hungry for something that is a little outside of mainstream, something that makes their brains work a little bit rather than just being fed the sort of easy, typical Hollywood storyline,” Maness said.
“We’re interested in showing things that are a little unusual.”
Durham is home to a strong documentary filmmaking community, through Duke’s Center for Documentary Studies and its annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. Haverkamp and Maness hope to tap into that community, featuring local documentaries alongside their broader programming.
Skin and Bones won’t be limited to experimental or niche films, though.
“Jim and I totally love dumb stuff, too,” Maness said. “It doesn’t have to be all highbrow all the time.”
Variety is the key, Haverkamp said.
“We want to show independent and non-mainstream, but we also want to show Godzilla films and cartoons,” Haverkamp said.
The Durham film and arts scene has seen a series of ebbs and flows in the past two decades. As rent costs for downtown units soared over the past 10 years, rental spaces became increasingly limited, pushing out many creatives.
“It was inexpensive for a long time to live and work in Durham and to find weird spaces where you could put on a show, or show films, or have a DIY art space,” Maness said. “But space got so much more valuable,” Haverkamp added.
By creating this new space, Haverkamp and Maness hope to play a role in Durham’s arts and film resurgence, giving the creative community somewhere to take root again.
Even though the theater is still under construction, the easy camaraderie between Haverkamp and Maness makes the atmosphere easy to envision. It feels like somewhere built by friends, for friends.
With 74 seats, a front lounge, and a backyard area where moviegoers can grab a drink and linger after the credits roll, Skin and Bones is designed as much for conversation as it is for films.
Its walls, currently plastered with funky patterned wallpaper from the store that previously occupied the building, will soon be painted an eggplant shade to complement the theater’s dimmed, intimate atmosphere.
Haverkamp motions to an area by the front of the stage, currently covered by construction materials.
“We’re thinking maybe in the front row, we’ll have comfortable couches,” he said.
The goal is to create a “comfortable living room vibe,” he added. In fact, for both Haverkamp and Maness, Skin and Bones is mainly about bringing the Durham community together.
“Going to a film has always been a social thing, but it’s rare that you get a chance to actually socialize in the same spot where you’ve seen a movie,” Haverkamp said.
“The idea with this place is it’s not a multiplex, it’s a little rougher, but it’s an interesting place to hang out where you can see interesting things and talk to weird people.”
Maness agrees.
“We want people to just be able to come in, feel at home, and enjoy themselves,” Maness added.
Above: Jim Haverkamp (left) and Alex Maness (right) plan to open Skin and Bones Theater in downtown Durham in July. Photo courtesy of Grayson Simon/Graydaughter Creative
Bridget Mills
