Historic theatre celebrates
WHITLEY BAY FESTIVAL IS HELPING OUT
Reporter A FILM festival is stepping outside its home town for the first time – to help a theatre celebrate its 150th anniversary.
Whitley Bay Film Festival is working with the grade 1-listed Tyne Theatre on Westgate Road in Newcastle, which opened in 1867.
The building also operated as The Stoll cinema, opening on June 2 1919, with “Tarzan of the Apes” and was the first in Newcastle to show “talkies”.
The Stoll, which in its last years had a reputation for specialising in racy and X-rated movies, closed in 1974. Its last film showing was ‘Danish Bed and Board.’
Now, to mark the building’s 150th and also its cinema history, the Whitley Bay team is staging a film festival at the theatre from August 11-13.
The weekend will also feature an exhibition of Newcastle cinema-related artworks and films and documentaries which will be free to the public, including a presentation of Tarzan of the Apes with musical accompaniment. Whitley Bay Film Festival director, Ema Lea, said: “This is a huge honour to be screening in such a beautiful and historic venue, celebrating its history as a cinema as part of their 150th anniversary.
“Screening outside North Tyneside is a first for us. Whitley Bay is in the middle of a regeneration plan and this is a great opportunity for us as a community event to be spreading the word about the exciting things happening in our seaside town.”
The programme includes:
Friday August 11: The History Of Cinema, presented by Dr. Andrew Shail, cultural historian and lecturer in