LEWISTON — Guthries Independent Theater has closed its doors after nearly a year in business, according to a post on its Facebook page.

The announcement was posted Sept. 1.

The theater held its first screening Oct. 31, 2014. According to owners Heather and Randy Letourneau in an interview at that time, the idea behind the theater was to introduce the community to new art. The theater planned to make most of its revenue through food, offering a sit-down dinner while their customers enjoyed whichever film or musical act performed that evening. 

“Unfortunately,” the Facebook post stated, “the needs of the theater proved not to be viable at this time. It was a very difficult decision to make, but one that had to be made in order to ensure the security of Guthries.

“First and foremost, we want to wish a most heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported Guthries Independent Theater. It has been an exciting journey for all of us here at Guthries from hosting small, independent films to large community events and from intimate company meetings to retirement parties.” 

The restaurant, She Doesn’t Like Guthries, will remain open and continue to host live music and other events. The storytelling season begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20.

“We cannot express enough how extremely grateful we are to have had the opportunity to attempt such a venture,” the post stated. “We are blessed by a supportive community here in Lewiston. There is a glimmer of hope though that the theater may continue in another incarnation. Over the course of the last several months, several interested parties have begun exploring other ways to possibly continue the theme and mission of the theater space. Stay tuned . . .”