2021 Workshops Part 1

February 22, 2021 / Matt / 4 Comments

Auditorium, Victory Theatre Holyoke, MA.

Here’s the workshop lineup for the first half of 2021. All of the workshops are limited in size and masks are required due to the ongoing pandemic.

Orchestra Level, Orpheum Theatre – New Bedford, MA.

First up is a return to the Orpheum Theatre in New Bedford, MA on May 1, 2021. This is one of my favorite workshops as there is so much to shoot. A theater, a ballroom, and a shooting range. To sign up visit: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/orpheum-theatre-workshop

Auditorium, Everett Square Theatre – Boston, MA.

Up next is the Everett Square Theatre in Hyde Park, MA on May 15, 2021. This is a great one for people who haven’t photographed anything abandoned before. It’s a smaller theater, but still has a lot of great details. To sign up visit: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/everett-square-theatre-workshop

Auditorium, Victory Theatre Holyoke, MA

Next is one I haven’t done for a few years – The Victory Theatre in Holyoke, MA on June 12, 2021. The Victory was one of the first theaters I photographed, and the first one I held a workshop at back in 2014. To sign up visit: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/victory-theatre-workshop

Auditorium, Colonial Theatre – Augusta, Maine.July 24, 2021, is a return to the Colonial Theatre in Augusta, Maine. When I first photographed this theater there was a giant hole in the middle of the auditorium, luckily that has been fixed and it’s much easier to move around the place. To sign up visit: http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/colonial-theatre

Auditorium, Goodwill Theatre – Johnson City, NY

I had a workshop planned for the Goodwill Theatre in Johnson City, NY in April 2020 but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m still working with the owners on finalizing a date but it should be sometime in the Spring of 2021. I will put out an update the second the date is locked.

There are other locations in the works (outside of the New England area) but that announcement will have to wait for another day.

Fall Photo Workshops 2018

August 7, 2018August 25, 2018 / Matt / Leave a comment

Auditorium, Orpheum Theatre in New Bedford, MA

I’ve been working on scheduling some new locations for this fall’s series of Photography Workshops, and think I’ve gotten some great ones. First up, the Orpheum Theatre in New Bedford, MA on September 22. The Orpheum was the first theater profiled on After the Final Curtain, and I’m really excited about the workshop. Attendees will be able to photograph the auditorium, ballroom and shooting range.

http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/orpheum-theatre-workshop

The Art Theatre in Worcester, MA.

Next is the Art Theatre (formerly the Olympia and a bunch of other names) in Worcester, MA is the next photo workshop on October 6, 2018. It’s a smaller one, so sessions are limited to 6 people.

http://www.mlambrosphotography.com/workshops/arttheatreworkshop

(And don’t worry, all of that insulation has been removed.)

View from the fake box seats at the Paramount Theatre in Springfield, MA.

Last up is a return to the Paramount Theatre in Springfield, MA on October 27, 2018. I’m co-hosting this one again with Matthew Christopher of Abandoned America. Work will have started on the roof by the time this workshop takes place, so hopefully that will stop the deterioration of this fantastic building.

That’s it for now! I’m planning on doing another one at the Everett Square Theatre this fall, but I’m just waiting to confirm a date. There may be one more surprise one as well.

Q&A with Lance Gunberg, President of O.R.P.H, Inc

March 15, 2011November 29, 2011 / Matt / 8 Comments

: View of the stage from the main floor of the Orpheum Theatre

I recently spoke with Lance Gunberg, a graphic designer and filmmaker who is also the president of Orpheum Rising Project Helpers or O.R.P.H, Inc., which is a non-profit organization dedicated to reviving the theater.

Continue reading →

Orpheum Theatre

March 9, 2011March 28, 2023 / Matt / 23 Comments

Want to see the Orpheum for yourself? I’m hosting a photography workshop at the theater this fall.

View of the Orpheum Theatre auditorium from the balcony.

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.

Local architect Louis Destremps — known for his work on the Notre Dame De Lourdes church in Fall River, Massachusetts — designed the building, which included the theater, a ballroom, a shooting range, a gymnasium, retail space and various office and meeting spaces. The Ballroom and Theater served as revenue for the club.

Continue reading →

After the Final Curtain

March 8, 2011November 29, 2011 / Matt / 10 Comments

I’ve been exploring and photographing abandoned buildings for several years,

but nothing has fascinated me more than abandoned theaters. After the Final Curtain is a photographic documentary about neglected and abandoned theaters throughout America. Through this project I’m hoping to generate a greater collective awareness of the stories behind these majestic structures and assist any organization that plans to restore them.

The posts will range from general history, to interviews with people who are involved with restoration efforts or were somehow associated with the theaters when they were open.

Here are some examples of theaters that will be featured in upcoming posts