Dedham Community Theatre
580 High Street,
Dedham,
MA
02026
580 High Street,
Dedham,
MA
02026
5 people
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The Community is in danger of closing again. Still competition from Showcase and the high cost of getting movies to show.
The Theatre Historical Society archive in Illinois has the MGM Theatre Report for the Community Theatre. Located in “Dedhan Square”, built around 1925, 994 seats, in Good condition; showing MGM product for over 10 years. There is an exterior photo taken in March 1941.
The DCT is alive and well! Business has balanced out considerably since Cinema de Lux at Legacy Place first came into town – the truth is that cinemas large and small have seen attendance go down in the last few years, but the DCT is lucky to have the continued support of decades of loyal patrons, as well as having been the home for many quality, award winning films. Check out the new mobile site for smartphone users!
Wow i seen the area has changed in Dedham
The Dedham Community Theatre opened in Nov. 1927. The 1927 Film Daily Yearbook lists 2 earlier film venues in Dedham: the Memorial Hall, 700 seats, open 2 days per week; and the Strand in East Dedham, 500 seats, open 1 day per week.
It probably goes without saying, but the Cinema de Lux at Legacy Place is killing the nearby Dedham Community Theatre.
“Nearly two months after the opening of the Showcase Cinema de Lux movie complex at Legacy Place, the historic Dedham Community Theatre is struggling. Its sales are down significantly, including what owner Paul McMurtry calls “some glaring examples of business being very slow†— such as a few nights when the theater closed early after no customers came for the 7 o’clock shows.
“McMurtry said he had never experienced that since he bought the theater in 2002.”
While talking to the reporter for the story, the general manager called up to the projectionist to cancel a weekday 4:45 pm showing. There were no customers
It’s pretty sad. It also comes at a time when the indie circuit is pretty slow too.
Read the full article at Wicked Local.
Yes, the theater got a grant to put up a new marquee.
Here is a 1983 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/dmlq23
Does anyone know if this theater now has a new or renovated marquee out front? Last Thurs. or Friday evening, the local TV news on one of the Boston stations covered some sort of event in front of the theater and, although I wasn’t paying attention, I thought they made reference to the marquee being “new”.
According to an article in the Quincy Patriot Ledger, May 12 08, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) in the basement of the Community Theater plans to open an annex gallery in the Somerville Th., Somerville MA. MOBA has room to exhibit only 10% of its dubious collection. The Somerville Theatre gallery will also be located, appropriately, “in the basement, near the toilets”. The Dedham gallery can be viewed free, but at the Somerville Theatre it will be necessary to buy a movie ticket.
The gala 80th birthday bash for the theatre was apparently held at 7PM Friday Nov. 9th. Tickets were $80 each, and it served as a fundraiser for restoration of the theatre’s marquee.
Glad to hear that, and please post here again when you know the date. The Somerville Theatre seems to be doing well with beer and wine sales.
The theatre now offers beer and wine. I have heard that some time this fall (2007) there will be a gala 80th birthday party for the house, which opened in 1927.
In the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac the Community Theatre in Dedham is listed as being operated by Ralph E. Snider theatres of Boston. At the time, he also ran 2 theatres in Winthrop, 2 theatres in Ware, and one each in Palmer and Salisbury, as well as a few theatres in Maine and RI.
Dedham Community will long live it is a unique theatre and arts have done well there like the belmont studio only you need to add some live acts add something to the community stage show of the times i have run this cinema on several occassions
The owner of this theatre is concerned about what will happen to him once National Amusements opens a new 16-screen cinema down the road in a new ‘lifestyle center’ to be called Legacy Place. From Saturday’s Boston Globe:
[quote]Scheduled to open in 2008, the Legacy Place lifestyle center in Dedham would be a short drive down Route 1 from downtown. In addition to about 70 national retailers and more than a half-dozen restaurants, the center will have a 16-screen movie theater, the flagship for media giant and Legacy Place developer National Amusements, which will have its corporate headquarters on the site.
This worries Paul McMurtry, the owner of Dedham Community Theatre, a 1927, two-screen movie house in Dedham Square.
Although National Amusements already operates a 12-screen theatre on the site, McMurty predicted the new 16-screen multiplex would kill his theater, which shows mostly independent films and is home to the whimsical Museum of Bad Art in its basement.
“If this is an anchor for downtown Dedham, we have to find some way for this theater to survive,” McMurtry said.[/quote]
Dedham Cinema another fine threatre i recieved my projectionist licence at this theatre in 1986 when i became a manager /Operator for the chain Theatre Develpment Enterpirze Inc i worked in all there cinemas inclduing the Cinema 140 New Bedford, Mass
Stand By me was showing on this cold snowy night i had to drive 32 miles to Attleboro where i lived with my parents i loved working the Cinemas and look at me now Working for the entertainment giant aka Walt Disney in Florida
Although I haven’t been to the Dedham Community Theatre often, I was able to see that it is greatly appreciated by the local residents. May it thrive. Here are two photos.
ONE
TWO
I used to work in Dedham and prefered this theatre to the Showcase Cinema down the highway. If you ever find yourself in Dedham, check out the MOBA gallery. I don’t know if it was intentional or not but placing the gallery in the restroom lobby adds to the humour of the ‘art’
Matt
1/16/05
A GREAT THEATER!! STICKING WITH KEVIN SPACEY’S BEYOND THE SEA THIS WEEK…TO HELL WITH THE CRITICS!
GO SEE IT, AND CATCH DARIN FEVER!
Jim P