GREAT BARRINGTON — With new seats, an upgraded sound system, a larger screen and fresh blue paint, The Triplex’s Theater 2 will reopen on Christmas Day — a first look at what the nonprofit envisions for the rest of its theaters.

The reconstructed theater will debut with “Song Sung Blue,” the true story of a Neil Diamond cover band. It's a film that will showcase the new sound system, theater leaders say.

Save the Triplex, the nonprofit that purchased the cinema in 2023, is renovating the 30-year-old building in phases. Its long-term goal is to turn the venue into a community hub that is a place for movies, talks, gatherings and other shared experiences.

“We know that it takes a lot to get people out of their house these days, and so providing an experience the audience actually thinks is worth coming to has been the goal," said Ben Elliott, creative director.

The Triplex Cinema Creative Director Ben Elliott, left, board of directors Vice President John Valente, center, and board President Gail Lansky, right, discuss the newly renovated Theater 2 at the cinema in Great Barrington. “We’re reducing our seat count, but providing a better experience," Elliott said.

Vice Board President John Valente said the Triplex isn’t just about films but about offering an experience that can't be recreated at home.

“Theaters like ours are more about the experience, a curated set of films carefully chosen for the community, and now with the upgrades that we've been doing, providing a real reason for people to get off of their couches and come into the theater,” Valente said.

When the nonprofit took over the building on Railroad Street, there was extensive water damage, particularly in Theaters 1 and 2. With limited funds, the organization first focused on making Theater 1 usable, repairing walls and the ceiling, installing new lighting, and upgrading sound paneling.

After reopening the rest of the building that fall, Theater 2 has sat empty for the last two years. It will reopen next week with a larger screen, new seats and 7.1 Dolby surround sound, and is now painted dark blue, the Triplex brand color, replacing the traditional movie-theater red.

The 127 upholstered rocker chairs are taller and wider, with additional legroom, making it the second-largest theater behind the 233-seat Theater 1. All other theaters still have their original seats, which are significantly smaller and in need of replacement.

“The audience's expectation of what a seat should be has changed over the years, so these are taller and wider,” Elliott said. “We’re reducing our seat count, but providing a better experience.”

Theater 2 is viewed by Elliott as a proof of concept for the improvements they hope to make across the rest of the building.

“This room is the clearest example of what we're trying to do,” Elliott said.

One of the biggest changes is the layout. The center aisle has been replaced with side aisles, allowing seating to fill the middle, an arrangement that improves accessibility and creates more desirable center seats.

“In our view, that’s the best seat in the house,” Elliott said.

The screen has been expanded, and the room now includes a stage for special programming.

“A large part of what we’ve been doing as a nonprofit has been bringing filmmakers or historians or showing a movie that touches on an issue that affects the community and bringing in an expert on the subject matter to do an interview,” Elliott said.

In the older theaters inside the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington, many of the seats are broken and unusable. The next step for renovations will be replacing Theater 1's seats, upgrading the sound and enlarging the screen, followed by a full overhaul of Theater 3.

The next step will be completing the renovation of Theater 1 by replacing its seats, upgrading the sound and enlarging the screen, followed by a full overhaul of Theater 3.

“What we’re really trying to do is go through a renovation that will carry the theater for the next 30 years,” Valente said. “These are not the kind of things that you do on a regular basis.”

While the final bills aren’t in yet, the project is running “a little under budget.” In addition to support from individual donors, the Triplex received a $200,000 matching grant from the Mass Cultural Council’s Mass Facilities Fund.

The theater was saved by a community that wanted a movie theater — a challenge many areas face — and the nonprofit is working to maintain that value while staying relevant. Its strategy is to offer a mix of commercial films, special events, and community programming.

Board President Gail Lansky said she feels like the Triplex is The Little Engine That Could — every day is a challenge, but they're doing it.

“I think we proved to the community that we did what we said we were going to do, and we only opened two years ago in November, and here we are,” Lansky said. "It's pretty jaw-dropping what we've done, and I'm just thrilled to be part of it.”