Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This theatre shut down overnight as lockdown kicked in, and the doors stayed closed... until today.
Join me on Patreon for behind the scenes and more videos: patreon.com/c/The120ist
This is a theatre in my town, which was more than just a community theatre, there were some pretty big productions held here. They had good equipment, lots of space for big crowds and they put on some great shows, quite apart from being a service for the community.
Then COVID happened, then lockdown, and the money ran out fast. The staff had almost no warning, I'm told, and the theatre closed it doors. As with any community theatre, it ran on a tight budget and there weren't the funds to reopen it. So it remained closed, the doors locked. Some kindly members of the local community maintained the outside and made sure it didn't fall into disrepair, but inside it is exactly as it was when the staff left on the last day.
The bar still has half full bottles and change in the till; the office has someone's hat and coat, papers and files are sitting in neat piles, waiting for attention on a tomorrow that never came.
When I think of abandoned places I usually think of the sort of places where urbex people break in and explore. This place isn't that old and isn't falling apart, but it's got a an atmosphere of memories. The whole place rings of a moment that we all remember, of uncertainty, sudden decisions and unprecedented change.
This is one of those videos where YouTube does't do the images justice really. I often shoot wide open on LF, with a short depth of field, but this time I was doing long exposures, closed almost all the way down, to make sure I caught all the details.
My plan is to print from these negatives when I get back, and print big. Maybe 10x12 or bigger... so that you'll be able to look at the prints and see all the little details... the floor breaking up in the main hall, the notices on the walls, the beginnings of the building starting to break up.
Aaaaanyway, hope you guys enjoy, it was quite an emotional shoot this one. I didn't cry, not that sort of emotional. But the building felt like a pre-covid museum. Let me know what you think!
You can find more details about the theatre, the history and the new plans here: thearmstrong.co.uk
This theatre shut down overnight as lockdown kicked in, and the doors stayed closed... until today.
Join me on Patreon for behind the scenes and more videos: patreon.com/c/The120ist
This is a theatre in my town, which was more than just a community theatre, there were some pretty big productions held here. They had good equipment, lots of space for big crowds and they put on some great shows, quite apart from being a service for the community.
Then COVID happened, then lockdown, and the money ran out fast. The staff had almost no warning, I'm told, and the theatre closed it doors. As with any community theatre, it ran on a tight budget and there weren't the funds to reopen it. So it remained closed, the doors locked. Some kindly members of the local community maintained the outside and made sure it didn't fall into disrepair, but inside it is exactly as it was when the staff left on the last day.
The bar still has half full bottles and change in the till; the office has someone's hat and coat, papers and files are sitting in neat piles, waiting for attention on a tomorrow that never came.
When I think of abandoned places I usually think of the sort of places where urbex people break in and explore. This place isn't that old and isn't falling apart, but it's got a an atmosphere of memories. The whole place rings of a moment that we all remember, of uncertainty, sudden decisions and unprecedented change.
This is one of those videos where YouTube does't do the images justice really. I often shoot wide open on LF, with a short depth of field, but this time I was doing long exposures, closed almost all the way down, to make sure I caught all the details.
My plan is to print from these negatives when I get back, and print big. Maybe 10x12 or bigger... so that you'll be able to look at the prints and see all the little details... the floor breaking up in the main hall, the notices on the walls, the beginnings of the building starting to break up.
Aaaaanyway, hope you guys enjoy, it was quite an emotional shoot this one. I didn't cry, not that sort of emotional. But the building felt like a pre-covid museum. Let me know what you think!
You can find more details about the theatre, the history and the new plans here: thearmstrong.co.uk
