Photos of a 1920's theatre today.

[tjrobb]

This place is incredible! How did you get involved with it?
Nick

I was a tech for the longest time, and they were having me do a lot of electrical repairs on the building. Over time, they adopted/hired me.

As for initial involvement, pretty much I signed up (I think online) as a volunteer. They e-mailed the volunteers that they needed crew (for The Sting, act, my first show with them) and the rest is history.

The pit is likely a dead space behind a house wall in front of the pros. As for drainage, the house roof is sloped, runs into cast iron leaders, and from there into the storm system. Being downtown, we have to drain straight into the mains, they don't want us dumping water into the street.
Oddly, though, that reminds me of how our theatre was flooded- not straight from the river, but from the sanitary drains. They were overwhelmed, and found any open spots... like basements of buildings.

 

[NickJones]

What's the timeframe of the restoration?

 

[taylortheatrical]

Nice photos, I noticed in the description of one of the booth photos you mentioned the toilet was a union requirement. You are absolutely correct, do you know why it was required?

 

[len]

Nice photos, I noticed in the description of one of the booth photos you mentioned the toilet was a union requirement. You are absolutely correct, do you know why it was required?

I'm guessing the answer is going to be kind of gross.

On an unrelated note, you'd be surprised (well, not you, but some people) what was included in union contracts. The first restaurant I ever worked had a contract with the cooks that was last negotiated in the 1950's. Being a German restaurant, most of the cooks were German. They were entitled to one 16-ounce beer per hour while they worked. Of course, by the time I was hired in 1982 new employees weren't given that perk, but the old guys still got it. I think there was one guy who still was eligible when they closed in about 2004.

 

[tjrobb]

According to current plans, we want to re-open arond February 2010.

As for the restroom, one guess I have is the old use of nitrocellulose film. They didn't want the booth empty in case it ignited. That, or they didn't want a tech wandering the halls needing a toilet...

 

[willbb123]

There used to be a toilet in our lighting booth. I've been told it's there because there used to be a movie projector, and they couldn't leave. There are many times when I wish it was still there.

 

[jongaduet]

yeah in 35 mm projection a film not taking up for even 5 seconds can be a total spaghetti disaster! I got a bit of experience there

 

[SAWYeR]

Wow! That's amazing. The dome definitely reminds me of the Aragon here in Chicago. I like how the house lights were old Major PCs, kinda entertaining. Definitely a piece of history, glad you captured it.

 

[TimMiller]

no one wants to go repelling down into the pit of doom. I was in a highschool theater and they had a big 24" open pipe that led straight down into the ground. They just reciently covered it, but until then it was open and in the middle of one of the prop storage rooms. They called it the Obama Well. Not sure what its purpose was for.

 

[len]

If you really want/need to see what's at the bottom of that pit, maybe you can get someone with a sewer camera to scope it out. They can move those cameras through several hundred feet of pipe, so your pit should be easy meat for them.

 

[TimMiller]

If you were closer, i bet my gf would repel down there. She finds any excuse to go repelling.

 

[museav]

If you were closer, i bet my gf would repel down there. She finds any excuse to go repelling.

She might prefer it if you said she would rappel or likes rappelling.