Photography Workshops
Have you ever wanted to photograph one of the theaters I feature on After the Final Curtain?
I’ve spent almost twenty years traveling around the country photographing historic and abandoned theaters. One of the questions I get asked most often is, “Can I come with you?”
The answer is yes.
I started hosting photography workshops more than a decade ago as a way to give people legal access to some of these buildings while also putting money back into them. I pay the theater owners or organizations for access, which helps with maintenance, restoration and other expenses. A photography workshop is not going to save a theater, but every little bit helps.
The workshops are kept small so everyone has room to photograph and explore the building without twenty tripods fighting for the same spot. I’m there throughout the day to help with composition, exposure, lighting, lens choices or anything else that comes up. If you already know what you’re doing and simply want time to photograph the building, that works too.
Workshops now take place at theaters around the country, from buildings that have been closed for decades to theaters in the middle of restoration. Some are local to New England and others give me an excuse to drag everyone halfway across the country.
The currently scheduled workshops are listed below. I add new dates and locations whenever I’m able to arrange access.
Strand Theatre
Location: Clinton, MA
Date: September 19, 2026
The Theatre: The Strand Theatre opened in downtown Clinton, Massachusetts, on Labor Day weekend in 1924. Originally called the Philbin Theater, the 1,112 seat house presented vaudeville, live performances and silent films before becoming primarily a movie theater. It closed in the late 1970s and sat unused for nearly twenty years before reopening in 1995 as a cinema draft house. The Strand closed again at the end of 2021. A recent attempt to reopen the theater fell through, leaving its future uncertain and giving us another opportunity to photograph the building while it remains closed.
Cost: $115
Tickets: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/strand919
Olympia Theatre
Location: Worcester, MA
Date: November 7, 2026
The Theatre: The Art Theatre opened in 1891 as Lothrop’s Opera House and is the oldest surviving theater in Worcester, MA. It went through a number of names including; The Olympia Theater, Lynch’s Pleasant Theater, Fine Arts Theater, and finally the New Art Cinema. It closed in 2006, and was purchased a few years ago by a local family who intend to restore it into a performing arts center.
Cost: $100
Tickets: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/arttheatreworkshop2024
PAST WORKSHOPS
Orpheum Theatre
Location: New Bedford, MA
Date: TBA 2024
The Theatre: The Orpheum Theatre opened on April 15, 1912 — the same day the Titanic sank. Located on Water Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts, it was part of a Beaux-Arts building that was built in 1910 by a French-Canadian group known as Le Club des Francs-Tireurs (The French Sharpshooters Club). The building’s official name is La Salle Francs Tireurs, or French Sharpshooters Hall. The theater was closed for the first time in 1958-59. It opened several times after that for special events, but was eventually sold by the French Sharpshooters Club in 1962 and was later used as a warehouse by a tobacco company. The back of the building housed a supermarket, but was closed a few years ago when the owner put the building up for sale.
Cost: $110
Tickets: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/orpheum-theatre-workshop527
Strand Theatre
Location: Boston, MA
Date/Time: TBA 2025
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: $75.00
Tickets: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/strand-theatre-workshop-boston-ma826
Fox West Theatre
Location: Trinidad, Colorado
Date: TBA
The Theatre: The Fox Theatre in Trinidad, Colorado made its grand debut on March 16, 1908, showcasing the stage play “The Bondman.” Over the years, it served as a versatile venue for a variety of performances including stage shows, vaudeville acts, opera, and silent films. It closed in 2013, making it one of the longest running single screen theaters in the country.
Cost: $160.00
Tickets: https://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/foxwestworkshop1021
Victory Theatre
Location: Holyoke, MA
Date: TBA
The Theatre: Construction on the Victory began in the fall of 1919, and cost around $500,000 or $7,057,106.74 when adjusted for inflation. It opened on December 31, 1920, and the proceeds from the theater’s opening night were given to the Holyoke City Hospital and the House of Providence Hospital. Its name is itself a reference to the Allies’ victory during the war. From its opening date, The Victory operated as a “combination house,” showing both films and vaudeville performances. Vaudeville was phased out in the early 1930s for the more popular motion picture screenings.
It closed in the late 1970s and was seized by the city for nonpayment of taxes. In September 2008, the city of Holyoke transferred ownership of the theater to the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts, who plan to renovate the theater and reopen it as a performing arts center.
Cost: $50.00
Tickets: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/victory-theatre-workshop-821
Grant Theatre
Location: South of Boston, MA
Date/Time:
TBA
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***
Variety Theatre – Co-hosted with Matthew Christopher of Abandoned America
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Date/Time:
TBA
The Theatre: The Variety Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio, originally opened on November 24, 1927 in the Jefferson neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. It operated on the Variety Amusement Company circuit before being sold to Warner Brothers in 1929. Warner Brothers ran the theater until 1954 when it was sold to Wargo Realty for $500,000, one of the largest real estate sales involving a theater since the great depression. The Variety was last used as a wrestling gym called the Cleveland Wrestleplex before closing for good in the late 1980s.
Cost: $125.00
Tickets: http://www.dismantlingthedream.com/product-page/variety-theatre-photography-workshop
Grand Theatre Workshop
Location: Steubenville, Ohio
Date/Time:
Currently Under Construction
The Theatre: The Grand Theatre building was built in 1885 by German immigrant Jacob Griesinger, Sr. in Steubenville, Ohio. It originally housed a saloon, restaurant and livery stables. In 1924, the building was taken over by Charles, Edward, Howard and William Biggio. The four brothers had the stables torn down and constructed the Grand Theatre auditorium in its place. In 2010, the theater was purchased by the Grand Theatre Restoration Project, who plan to restore and renovate the theater into a performing arts center and museum. For more information, visit: https://afterthefinalcurtain.net/2013/07/22/grand-theatre/
Cost: $50.00
Tickets: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/grand-theatre-steubenville-ohio-workshop
Everett Square Theatre
Location: Boston, MA
Date/Time:
TBA
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
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Hi Matt, Any workshops planned in late September New York way? I’m here in the Uk and visiting friends in NY. I work in costume for theatre with an interest in derelict/ empty buildings having spent many years exploring them and living in them. I love that you talk about the history of each building and it saddens me that they are not valued as part of film and theatre history.
thank you for sharing your passion.
Janet – Not in New York City, but I may have one in Upstate New York around then. Subscribe to my mailing list (at the upper right hand side of the page) and you’ll be one of the first to know.
Hi Matt, I’m very interested in a tour of the Waterbury Poli Theater. Does that one ever come up as an option?
It hasn’t, but if enough people are interested I’m happy to set one up. The only active theater I have right now is the Strand Theatre in Boston, MA.
How many people would you consider to be enough?
It really depends on what the theater would want to rent it out for a day. That’s how my workshops are priced.
Good morning,
I’m in the L.A. area, would be very interested in touring the old Pantages, the Roxie or any of the derelict theaters in downtown.
Ian
Hi Ian,
I did an LA Workshop series back in 2017. If there’s enough interest I’d be happy to do another one, but I currently do not have plans for one.
Matt
Hi Matt,
Any insight about the Sterling Opera House in Derby, CT? They used to do tours, but have been shut down for a while. Would love to attend a workshop here!
Best,
Sam
I’ve actually been talking to the city about that one. I’ll hopefully have some more information soon. Probably not this year though.