Midwest Photo Workshops

March 23, 2023 / Matt / Leave a comment

View from the middle balcony of the Emery Theatre.

I’ve got two new photo workshop locations for 2023. The first is the Emery Theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 24, 2023, and the second is the Imperial Theatre in Cincinnati on June 25, 2023. I’ve got a few more new locations in the works, but I don’t expect those to happen before the fall.

Here’s the current workshop line up:

Franklin Park Theatre

Location: Boston, MA

Date/Time:

April 16, 2023

The Theatre: The Franklin Park Theatre opened on December 8, 1914 in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was designed by Boston architectural firm Funk and Wilcox, who also designed the nearby Strand Theatre. It was turned into a church in 1963.

https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2014/10/08/franklin-park-theatre/

Cost: $110

Tickets: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/franklinparktheatreworkshop

Paramount Theatre

Location: Springfield, MA

Date/Time: April 29, 2023

The Theatre: The Paramount Theater (also known as the Julia Sanderson Theater and The Hippodrome) opened in 1926. Built at a cost of $1 million (13 million when adjusted for inflation), it was the most ornate theater in western Massachusetts. The Paramount closed after being used as a nightclub for a few years. It is currently scheduled to undergo a renovation and reopen as a performing arts center.

https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2017/10/27/paramount-theatre-springfield-ma/

Cost: $110.00

Tickets: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/paramountworkshopapril2023

Emery Theatre

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Date/Time: June 24, 2023

The Theatre: Built as part of the Ohio Mechanics Institute, the Emery Theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio opened on January 6, 1912 as the Emery Auditorium. It was one of four “acoustically perfect” concert halls whose design was inspired by the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, IL. The other three were the Orchestra Hall, also in Chicago, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Orchestra Hall in Detroit, MI. It was recently sold for $8.55 million to local developers who intend to restore the building. The restoration costs are estimated at around $30 million and will take about three years to complete.

https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2021/05/24/emery-theatre-cincinnati-ohio/

Cost: $125.00

Tickets: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/emery-theatre-623

Imperal Theatre

Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Date/Time: June 25, 2023

The Theatre: The Imperial is a 700 seat theater that opened in 1913. it closed in the 70s and was used as a mattress store for until the late 2000s. The current owner is looking to restore and reopen it.

Cost: $70

Tickets: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/imperialtheatre625

Location: Boston, MA

Date/Time:

August 26, 2023

The Theatre: The Strand Theatre opened on November 11, 1918, in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was designed by Boston architectural firm Funk and Wilcox, who also designed the nearby Franklin Park Theatre. It is currently used for live events, and has air conditioning, which makes it a perfect theater for workshop in August.

https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2022/04/08/strand-theatre-boston-ma/

Cost: $75.00

Tickets: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/strand-theatre-workshop-boston-ma

The Elmora Theatre – Elizabeth, New Jersey

March 16, 2023January 11, 2023 / Matt / Leave a comment

The Elmora Theatre opened on February 15, 1927 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It was called “The Theatre Beautiful” in early advertisements and was primarily a live playhouse when it opened. The Kirkham Players, a local acting company, performed in most of the plays shown at the Elmora. However, on June 11, 1928, a little over a year after they began, J. Ellis Kirkham, the managing director of the Kirkham Players, resigned because of a difference of opinion on managerial policy. Kirkham’s resignation led to a much less popular group taking over the Elmora, and by 1929 it had closed.

On April 1st 1929, Werba and Taylor of New York City reopened the Elmora. The first play shown at the newly christened Werba’s Elmora was “The Trial of Mary Dugan.” By 1941, the Elmora had switched to showing motion pictures, and continued to do so until it closed. Bob Jaspan, an Elizabeth City Councilman, had purchased the theater in 1986. Jaspan purchased the building to move his hardware store there, but was convinced to keep the theater open by his constituents. He ran two-for-one specials, reduced ticket prices and held monthly screenings for senior citizens, but ultimately could not compete with nearby multiplexes.

Jaspan closed the theater in 1996. After it closed, Jaspan had the long hallway style lobby split up into retail spaces, and rented out the auditorium to the Evangelistic Hispanic Church. Jaspan sold the theater a few years later. The auditorium became a secondhand furniture showroom in 2007, but that didn’t last long because of the deteriorating state of the building.

Rivoli Theatre (Williams Center for the Arts) Rutherford, NJ

February 9, 2023February 20, 2023 / Matt / 1 Comment

This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in January 2022. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

The auditorium shortly after it opened, and in 2016.

The Rivoli Theatre opened on April 22, 1922, in Rutherford, New Jersey. It was designed by architect Abram Presikel and featured a marble facade, an ornate interior, and a centerpiece chandelier made of crystals from Czechoslovakia. The 2,200 seat theater opened as a combination vaudeville and silent film house. During this time, acts such as Abbott and Costello and the Glenn Miller Orchestra performed at the Rivoli.

In 1936, architect John Eberson, known for designing many atmospheric theaters across the world, remodeled the interior. On January 9, 1977, a fire destroyed the lobby and front of the building. Luckily, most of the auditorium was undamaged. Repairs began right away, and in 1982 the theater reopened as a performing arts center called the George W. Newman Theatre. However, movies were still shown in the building. As part of the reconstruction, a two-screen cinema was constructed on the site of the Rivoli’s lobby. The entire building, including the former Rivoli and the two-screen cinema, was named the William Carlos Williams Center for the Performing Arts, after the poet, doctor, and Rutherford native.

The theater was gifted to Bergen County in 1987, and they made an agreement with the nonprofit group that ran the theater to continue on. Over the years, the theater hosted music shows, films, art shows, and High School Graduations. In October 2012, the Newman theater closed due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. A study determined that the ceiling plasterwork might not be stable if exposed to the sound of a live music performance. In August 2021, Bergen County transferred the ownership of the building to the borough of Rutherford, who then sold it to local developer Chuck Olivo for $1. Olivo intends to save the theater, as well as build a residential building on the site.

View of the auditorium from the back rows.

A close up of some of the surviving plasterwork details in the auditorium.

Behind the giant chandelier you can see the divide where the original auditorium ends and the newer portion begins.

Loew’s Kings Theatre – Part 4

January 18, 2023January 18, 2023 / Matt / Leave a comment

Material from for this post was taken from the first three chapters of my book, Kings Theatre; The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Brooklyn’s Wonder Theater. If you’d like to buy a copy, they are available on Amazon, and on my website. You can find the first three parts at the following links:

https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2018/09/13/loews-kings-theatre-part-one/

https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2019/01/22/loews-kings-theatre-part-2-the-early-years/

https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2019/03/08/loews-kings-theatre-part-3-the-queen-of-the-kings/

Rumors circulated Loews was interested in selling the Kings in November 1976. Marty Markowitz, then president of the Flatbush Tenants Council, confirmed that the building was up for sale. According to Markowitz, “I know that the building is up for sale. I don’t know if it has been sold yet, but I know that the Loews Corporation would like to sell it.” Markowitz said, “We would like to bring live entertainment to the theater – Broadway-type shows and concerts so that there could be a sort of renaissance on Flatbush Avenue. We mentioned it to the Loews people, but they aren’t interested.” Chet Arnow, the vice president in charge of advertising and publicity for Loews, denied that the Kings was up for sale, but added, “Sure the Kings is up for sale. Every one of our theaters is always up for sale if the price is right. If we don’t get the right price, we’ll continue operating the Kings as usual.” Brunner also denied the rumors and stated that people have been talking about the Kings closing for 20 years. Despite their denials, less than six months later, the marquee read, “Closed: Will Reopen Soon.”

Soon after the theater closed, two churches asked about buying the theater and converting it into a place of worship. There was precedent for this; Loew’s 175th, one of the Kings’ sister theaters, had been purchased by the United Christian Evangelistic Association in 1969 and converted into a church. Another former Loew’s Wonder Theater, the Valencia, closed around the same time as the Kings and was turned into a church two years later when Loew’s donated the building to the Tabernacle of Prayer for All People.

Less than a month after closing, the Kings Theater was sold to the Kings Royalty Production Corporation (KRPC) for $718,385, or $2,782,520 when adjusted for inflation. The KRPC was formed for the specific purpose of purchasing and running the theater. Robert Smerling and David Fellman, the owners of KRPC, also owned the American Theatre Management Corporation (ATMC), which had several theaters in the tri-state area. “Loew’s” was removed from the marquee, and it reopened in early June 1977 as simply the Kings Theatre. The first film shown was Day of the Animals, a horror movie starring Leslie Nielsen. KRPC contracted with major movie companies, including Warner Brothers and Paramount, to turn the Kings into a first-run movie theater.

On July 13, 1977, lightning struck a substation near Buchanan, NY and began a chain of events that caused the New York metropolitan area to lose power for around 25 hours. Looting began soon after the power went out. It was especially bad in the Bronx, Harlem, Queens, and Central Brooklyn. Eighty stores in Flatbush were hit, with 49 of them on Flatbush Avenue. The already low attendance and the destruction and looting during the blackout caused many people to stay away from the hardest hit neighborhoods.

One of the first films shown at the newly reopened theater was the follow up to the 1973 hit, The Exorcist. KRPC was banking on Exorcist II: The Heretic being as big a hit as the first one. Unfortunately, this film was considered by many to be one of the worst films ever made, and it languished at the box office. The Kings showed the “Exorcist II: The Heretic” for almost a month before switching to another film. By that point, the damage was done, and the KRPC could not meet expenses to keep the theater open. On Monday, August 29, 1977, the Kings closed again, just six weeks after it had reopened. The last film shown was “Bruce Lee: The Man, The Myth.”

Laurence Lehr, a representative employed by both KRPC and ATMC, claimed that the company closed the theater because it was cheaper to let the bank have it. “When you get monthly electric bills over $7,800 …, how do you expect to do business? You can’t do business in this city. The costs of labor, security, and everything else are ridiculous.” They tried to keep the costs down by rarely using the large chandeliers in the lobby and only turning the marquee on around 9 PM each evening. According to Lehr, the company was aware of the costs of running a theater when they bought it, but was hoping they could turn it around.

Photo Workshops 2023

January 11, 2023March 6, 2023 / Matt / 1 Comment

Franklin Park Theatre

Location: Boston, MA

Date/Time:

April 16, 2023

https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2014/10/08/franklin-park-theatre/

Cost: $110

Tickets: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/franklinparktheatreworkshop

The Franklin Park is one of my favorite workshop locations. A theater from the balcony, and a church from the orchestra level. Plus, it’s got some crazy fire damage, and a piano covered in mushrooms.

Auditorium of the “Grant” Theatre.

Grant Theatre

Location: South of Boston, MA

Date/Time:

April 29, 2023

The Theatre: The Grant opened in the early 1900s as a vaudeville theater, and was eventually divided into 2 separate theaters. It’s been closed for several years with no plans to reopen it.

Cost: $65.00

Tickets: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/granttheatre2023

***At the request of the owner, the real name and location of this theater will be disclosed only to workshop attendees. ***

Strand Theatre

Location: Boston, MA

Date/Time:

August 26, 2023

The Theatre: The Strand Theatre opened on November 11, 1918, in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was designed by Boston architectural firm Funk and Wilcox, who also designed the nearby Franklin Park Theatre. It is currently used for live events.

Cost: $70.00

Tickets: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/strand-theatre-workshop-boston-ma

The Strand is an active theater with decay. It’s got air conditioning, so it’s perfect for a late summer workshop.

I’m currently working on a package workshop for some mid western theaters. It will probably take place in June, and I’ll post about it when the dates are set. Hope everyone is having a great 2023!

Casino Theatre – Bronx, NY

November 14, 2022November 11, 2022 / Matt / 1 Comment

The auditorium of the former Casino Theatre in the Bronx.

View of the auditorium from the side of the balcony.

The Casino Theatre originally opened as the Willis Theatre in late December 1923. It’s near 138th Street in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, NY. The 2,166 seat theater was designed by architect Eugene De Rosa, who is known for many other New York Metropolitan Theatres such as The Apollo Theatre in Harlem, Studio 54 in Midtown Manhattan, and the St. George Theatre in Staten Island.

It was not a successful theater and closed and reopened many times throughout the 1920s, often with a change of format. It went from vaudeville to burlesque to motion pictures and even had a brief stint as a Broadway-style theater when a manager’s tryout for “A Woman of Destiny” was held at the theater in 1936.

Center view of the Auditorium, Casino Theatre - Bronx, NY

The orchestra level was converted into a grocery store, and the stage area is used for storage.

The Willis was renovated and renamed the Casino in 1939 to coincide with the World’s Fair, which was being held at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, NY. It closed as a movie house for the last time in the 1960s. After a few years, a supermarket replaced the theater. However, it wasn’t demolished, at least not completely. Instead, the lobby and orchestra level of the auditorium were gutted and converted into the supermarket. The balcony is all that remains of the Casino today.

Storage lockers for films. Early film was made of nitrate, and it is very combustible, so it needed to be stored in lockers like the one pictured here.

Loew’s Boulevard Theatre – Bronx, NY

November 3, 2022 / Matt / 2 Comments

View of the remains of the balcony.

On November 1, 1913, the Loew’s Boulevard Theatre opened in the Bronx, NY. Marcus Loew, founder of Loew’s Incorporated, was one of the 2,800 people who attended the opening night celebrations. Loew announced ‌the theater would feature “small time” vaudeville and motion pictures. Thomas W. Lamb, famed theater architect, redesigned the interior of the Boulevard in 1917. During the remodel, a three-manual Möller organ was installed to accompany the films and live performances. Loew’s Inc. remodeled it again in 1932, but this time to better equip it for talking motion pictures.

Organ Chamber, Boulevard Theatre - Bronx, NY

Most of the organ chambers were destroyed when the balcony was separated from the orchestra level.

The Boulevard was one of 24 nearby theaters to start a program of one night vaudeville in June 1949. Vaudeville continued into late 1950, but by then the Boulevard was one of only ten other theaters in the program. They discontinued it soon after. Loew’s closed the Boulevard in the late 1960s, and it soon reopened as an independent theater dropping the “Loew’s” from its name. It continued showing motion pictures, but hosted live events from time to time, including a Circus in September 1972. The Boulevard changed formats and became a Spanish language theater in the late 1970s before closing for good in the mid-1980s.

Five Brothers Furniture took over the building soon after it closed and gutted the lower level, turning it into their showroom. Five Brothers remained in the building until the late 2000s, when it was replaced by Planet Fitness, a fitness club franchise. Planet Fitness cleaned up the facade of the building, but did not touch the balcony, which is the only part of the original theater that remains to this day.

You can hear the sounds of workout machines and fitness classes while you’re in the balcony.

Oriental Theatre – Boston, MA

September 27, 2022September 27, 2022 / Matt / Leave a comment

The ornamental plaster was removed after the theater closed.

Originally planned to be built in Waltham, The Oriental Theatre opened on October 24, 1930 in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was designed in the atmospheric style, where the ceiling resembled the night sky surrounded by a town, by the Boston based architectural firm Krokyn, Browne, and Rosenstein. They recreated notable Chinese structures, such as the Wanshou Temple and the Street Gate of Tsinanfu, in the auditorium. The 2,200 seat theater did not have a balcony, but had stadium seating with a raised section at the rear of the auditorium.

It was originally part of Jacob Lourie and Sam Pinanki’s NETOCO theater circuit, then Paramount, followed by M & P, and finally American Theatres Corporation (ATC.) The Oriental gained a reputation for being run down, and was eventually foreclosed on, which forced the theater to close. It was sold at a foreclosure auction on Friday, September 21, 1971. The last film advertised as being shown was “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie.

View from the rear of the auditorium.

In the mid-1970s, the building became home to an electrical supply warehouse. Fred McLennan, a local theater operator, purchased much of the ornamental plasterwork from the theater and installed it at the Orpheum Theatre in Canton, MA, which he renamed to the New Oriental Theatre. Only a few small pieces of plaster and the blue ceiling remained at the Oriental. A furniture store and warehouse replaced the electrical supply warehouse in 2018.

Somerville Theatre – Somerville, MA

July 6, 2022July 5, 2022 / Matt / Leave a comment

This was originally posted on After the Final Curtain’s Patreon in February 2022. For expanded early posts, as well as video walkthroughs and other exclusive content, you can become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/afterthefinalcurtain

View from the side of the balcony.

The 1,100 seat Somerville Theatre originally opened on May 11, 1914 in Somerville, Massachusetts. It was designed by the architecture firm of Funk and Wilcox, who also designed the Strand and Franklin Park Theatres. It was part of the Hobbs Building, which also had a bowling alley, a billiards hall, a basement cafe, and a 700-person dance hall, the Hobbs Crystal Ballroom.

Originally designed for vaudeville, stage shows and films, the fallout from the Great Depression forced the theater into primarily showing motion pictures, beginning in 1932. Like many theaters of this era, The Somerville held gimmicks, such as dish night or appliance giveaways, to get people to come to a show. During the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s, films would open in the downtown Boston theaters, and then open in neighborhood cinemas like the Somerville a week later.

Unlike many historic movie palaces, the Somerville Theatre was never closed for long periods of time. It became a revival house in 1982, often showing double features and independent films. In the mid-1980s, The Fraiman family purchased The Hobbs Building, and came up with a plan to keep the theater competitive with modern multiplexes. They turned the unused portions of the building, such as the bowling alley, billiards hall, and the ballroom into new screens to show films.

The Somerville Theatre closed in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, screens 4 & 5 were removed, and they restored the Crystal Ballroom. The theater reopened on September 17, 2021 and the Ballroom reopened on October 8, 2021.

Looking back at the auditorium from the stage.

The exterior of the Somerville Theatre.

Summer and Fall Workshops 2022

June 22, 2022June 22, 2022 / Matt / 2 Comments

Strand Theatre Auditorium

Here are the dates and locations for the next four After the Final Curtain photo workshops. I’m very excited about the Strand Theatre, which is an active theater, so it’ll be nice and cool inside.

A long exposure of the Everett Square Theatre auditorium.

The projection booth at the Everett Square Theatre.

Everett Square Theatre

Location: Boston, MA

Date/Time:

July 16, 2022

The Theatre: The Everett Square Theatre opened in 1915 in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It was designed by Boston architect Harry M. Ramsay for the Littlefield Trust, the original owner of the theater. For more information, visit: https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2014/08/05/everett-square-theatre/

Cost: $50.00

Tickets: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/everett-square-theatre-workshop

The Everett was an early movie house and is perfect if you’ve never been on a workshop before. I keep the groups small here, and we tend to experiment with lighting as seen in the first photo of the theater posted above.

Strand Theatre

Location: Boston, MA

Date/Time:

August 21, 2022

Cost: $70.00

Tickets: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/strand-theatre-workshop-boston-ma

The Strand is an active theater with decay. This workshop was originally planned for January 2022, but was delayed because of Vincent van Gogh (seriously.) The afternoon session is already almost sold out.

Auditorium of the “Grant” Theatre.

Grant Theatre

Location: South of Boston, MA

Date/Time:

September 17, 2022

The Theatre: The Grant opened in the early 1900s as a vaudeville theater, and was eventually divided into 2 separate theaters. It’s been closed for several years with no plans to reopen it.

Cost: $75.00

Tickets: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/granttheatre2022

***At the request of the owner the real name and location of this theater will be disclosed only to workshop attendees***

Franklin Park Theatre

Location: Boston, MA

Date/Time:

October 15, 2022

https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2014/10/08/franklin-park-theatre/

Cost: $110

Tickets: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/franklinparktheatreworkshop

The Franklin Park is one of my favorite workshop locations. Where else can you get a theater and a church all in one? (That’s a rhetorical question. Please don’t answer.)

And that’s it for 2022 workshops. Maybe. I’m always working on new locations and I’ve got a new one that may happen in late fall. Followers of my Patreon will know about it before anyone else. If there are some locations I’ve done in the past that you’d like another workshop at – let me know.