Friends of the Broadway Prestwick

🎉 We are absolutely thrilled to announce with Prestwick Academy our new Academy Board of Directors for 2024/25!

The Academy Board of Directors was established in 2023, as the beginning of a lasting partnership with Prestwick Academy. Each new school year, the captains and vice-captains of the school's sixth year will form an 'Academy Board', a pupil committee that will collaborate with us extensively on all aspects of the project, playing a crucial role in the Broadway's re-development! ✨

👏 We'd first like to thank one last time the outgoing Academy Board of Lewis Duncan, Rosie Wallbanks, Belle Wilson, Bex Beattie, Lewis Henderson, and Ivy McDonald. Our inaugural board laid the foundations for the future and represented the Broadway impeccably with national press, engaged with our community beautifully at official events, and made history with the first lessons of the Broadway 35mm projection training school!

We'd now like to welcome the core of our new board for 2024/25, captains Natasha Morrison and Fraser McIntyre, and vice-captains Ross Bain and Dylan Donald! We'd like to congratulate Ross on being appointed Chair of the Academy Board, and look forward to the team expanding in the coming weeks! We have incredibly exciting plans to expand our collaboration across the next school year, with plans for major events collaboration, design workshops with our architects, and engagement with school departments including with our own published author and writer-in-residence Martin Stewart. Our partnership with our local schools will continue to expand and evolve and we can't wait to get started! ☺

First things first, we'll get the projectionist lab coats looked out... 👀

🎉 We have our third Gaumont-Kalee Type 20 courtesy of Brighton & Hove Museums! 👏

We're delighted to announce the arrival of a GK20 projector that is an exact match to the Broadway's original projectors still in situ in the projection room today! We would like to thank Alexia Lazou and Dan Robertson from Brighton & Hove Museums for the incredibly kind donation, and to Christian Skelton of the Selsey Pavilion Trust for getting us in touch! Our third Kalee could prove crucial in bringing our original projectors back to life once more! ✨

Currently in safe storage with our corporate sponsors Regency Facilities Management after the long trip North to Scotland, we're also thrilled to announce that the GK20 will be transported to her new home at the Broadway this weekend, and will be available for all to see at Doors Open Days the following weekend on the 14th and 15th! ☺

Our family keeps growing. ❤️

✨ Major projection announcement tomorrow at 7:00pm...

Any ideas? 👀

👏 Thank you for all your amazing support following our STV appearance Prestwick! We're feeling the love! 🥰

Here are some behind-the-scenes shots of the feature being filmed! It's a crucial time for our project and there has never been a better time to board the hype train and join us! The best way to support the Broadway is by becoming a member by clicking the link below and visiting our website, where you can also purchase pop-up cinema tickets, donate to our cause, register as a volunteer, and more! We'd love to welcome you to the family and bring you along on this whirlwind of a journey with us! 🎉

🎫 Link: friendsofthebroadwayprestwick.com/membership

🎄 Who would like a (very) early Christmas present?

We are delighted to announce the first of two upcoming festive events for 2024, as we all head back to the Academy for an extra special journey, hopping aboard 'The Polar Express' (in pyjamas)! You can join us for an evening of festive delight in ultimate Christmas comfort, and you can get your tickets now by clicking the following link! ✨

🎫 Book Now: friendsofthebroadwayprestwick.com/event-details/the-polar-express-in-pyjamas-2

🎉 To celebrate Prestmas 2024, we are showing the classic children's favourite 'The Polar Express' and we're showing it with a twist... All audience members are encouraged to wear their pyjamas, bring their blankets and pillows, and coorie together in the comfort of the Academy with a free hot chocolate included with each ticket, hand-crafted by the professional baristas in training of Prestwick Academy!

With an all-new limited-time Family Ticket too, you can purchase one ticket for two adults and two children! In what could become a Broadway tradition in the future, The Polar Express in Pyjamas is the perfect start to the holiday season as a family, with the event becoming a highlight in the Prestmas programme for 2024 and beyond! 🎊

The Polar Express is rated U, and therefore all are able to attend, yet please note all under-14s must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

We can't wait to welcome you back to the Academy! ☺

🎄 Please forgive us for mentioning this word in August...

As we have an announcement coming during our AGM. Check back at 7:30pm everyone. 🎫

🎺 Bugle Rewind: Issue 13! Scottish Cinema Spotlight: ABC Kilmarnock (King's Theatre/Regal/Cannon/MGM) 👑

Let's wrap up our Bugle rewinds for August with the Scottish Cinema Spotlight article of Issue 13, following the journey of the former ABC Kilmarnock. Once one of the grandest theatres in the country! Each edition of the Bugle we tell the story of another of Scotland's cinemas, and so far we have travelled from Campbeltown to Montrose, and from Stornoway to Dumfries!

✨ As a member of the Broadway you receive exclusive access to our official magazine, the Bugle features behind-the-scenes updates from the Broadway's restoration, and several recurring articles from our chief projectionist, heritage curator, and even our official writer-in-residence and published author Martin Stewart! Becoming a member is the best way to support the project and learn all there is to know about the Broadway's past, present, and future! You can sign up as a member using the link at the bottom of this post!

We hope we you enjoy this trip back in time to Killie! 🎫

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Welcome to Scottish Cinema Spotlight! The segment where we shine a light on one of our nation's other golden age picture palaces, taking you on a journey through their history from construction to the present day. This month we're heading to Kilmarnock, to visit an iconic name in an iconic building in East Ayrshire.

The building in question was born as the majestic King's Theatre. One of the largest theatres in Scotland upon its construction, the King's opened on Titchfield Street in October 1904 to the plans of architect Alexander Cullen for a hefty sum of £19,000.

The King's was the vision of a Mr. Robert C. Buchanan of Glasgow, a former actor and upcoming theatre developer and manager that would in the beginning of the 1900s create a federation of theatres in Scotland. The King's opened offering opera, musicals, and variety theatre, under the newly formed Kilmarnock Theatre Co. Ltd. It was grandeur on a scale Kilmarnock had never seen before.

The building was designed in glorious Edwardian Baroque style, with a façade constructed of red sandstone that featured intricately carved palisters and columns and shop units either side of the grand entrance doors. The auditorium was built to hold 2,200 patrons and yet upon opening the King's could boast an impressive final capacity of 2,400. The auditorium contained stalls, a dress circle, and a balcony, and also featured two galleries, eight proscenium boxes, and six private boxes behind the circle.

The original plans above show just how grand the King's would have been! Although, unfortunately the theatre struggled to sustain itself in its early years, and the original founding company folded after just four years, entering liquidation in 1908. The King's then saw multiple different owners come and go over the following decade, including a most noteworthy Edmund Tearle, an owner of touring companies of some repute whose Shakespearian skills were admired on both sides of the Atlantic. Sadly, Edmund would pass away in 1913.

After which the building would welcome cinema for the first time, as Bioscope shows began to share the theatrical schedule. In 1916, our old pal Robert C. Buchanan would then buy back the theatre he had created at a quarter of the price, as he had now transformed his business into a picture house operator! He liked to keep up with the times evidently...

Nevertheless, after another four year stint as owner, Buchanan sold the King's once more, this time to a Mr. John Maxwell, a solicitor who some cinema nerds may recognise as the founder of ABC Cinemas! Yes, the King's in Kilmarnock was one of the very first cinemas owned by the chain that began as a subsidy of the Associated British Picture Corporation, and would go on to become one of the largest cinema chains in Britain!

John Maxwell would develop grand plans for his cinema empire, and in 1934 the decision was made to reinvent the King's as a new super cinema for the town, ceasing variety theatre productions and committing to full-time film. The original King's closed for the last time on 14th April 1934, to be altered internally to the plans of architect Charles J. McNair of Airdrie, and re-opened as the all-new Regal Cinema on 17th December that same year, and what a cinema it was!

The building was completely transformed. With a new capacity of 1,834, the original triple-tier auditorium was changed to a single enormous balcony, with the stage facilities intact yet with the side boxes and orchestra pit removed, and an all-new Art Deco interior design was created. The angled proscenium arch was immense, and glorious styling details included a large Art Deco grille in the centre of the ceiling. The Regal became one of the largest cinemas in Ayrshire and a jewel in Kilmarnock's crown for decades.

Additional photographs here show the foyer and circle lounge of the Regal in 1954, by this time proudly operating under the iconic red triangle of ABC. The foyer was actually surprisingly small for a cinema of this size, with the paybox window on the right-hand side and concessions stand directly in front of the entrance. The concessions offering we can see in the photograph includes Sun-Pat salted nuts and Lyons' Orange Maid ices!

We can also see advertising for one of ABC's lasting legacies, the ABC Minors Club! The chain was the first to introduce a Saturday morning club to their cinemas in the 1940s, offering the children of their communities a very special trip each weekend, meeting their friends at the ABC and enjoying a specially catered programme of cartoons and a main feature to follow, often a Western. Club members received a badge to wear every Saturday and at the beginning of every club showing all members sang the ABC Minors song, which appeared on screen with a little red ball bouncing over the words.

"We're minors of the ABC!"

The advertisement in the Regal's foyer for the ABC Minors matinees shows several iconic characters of the age, with Laurel and Hardy alongside Tom and Jerry, Sylvester and Tweety, and Bugs Bunny!

In 1964, the Regal name was dropped and the cinema became simply the ABC, as did dozens more across the country. At this time of course, cinema audiences were beginning to rapidly decline, primarily due to the introduction of television across more and more of our homes. Nevertheless, the ABC soldiered on with its single auditorium until 1973, when another drastic reconstruction would take place.

The last film to be projected onto the original stage showed on 12th May 1973, as the ABC was thereafter closed to be twinned as a bingo and cinema hybrid. The balcony would become the new 602-seat single cinema, with the stalls becoming solely dedicated to bingo. The new-look offering would open officially in just over four months on 17th September. And yet, tragedy would soon strike less than two years later.

On 1st June 1975, a fire broke out that would cause lasting damage to many of the original features of the auditorium. In the photograph above we can see the staff of the ABC inspecting the damage, as most of the 602 seats were burned out entirely. Thankfully, ABC would not be deterred and just over two months later the cinema re-opened once again, with yet more changes! This time, with the rapid re-construction, the bold decision was made to bin the bingo and re-open the ABC as a three-screen cinema! The existing balcony screen was rebuilt, and the stalls were converted to two smaller screens with seating capacities of 193 and 149.

This layout remained the ABC's final form, with the only changes still to come for the cinema being its name! To anyone who remembers Scotland's cinema landscape in the 80s and 90s, some other iconic names will spring to mind. It's safe to say ABC as a company was passed around a lot!

First, in 1967, when the majority of ABC's shares were owned by Warner Brothers, the company was bought over by a group initially known as Electric and Music Industries, better known as EMI. Many of you may remember ABC Cinemas for many years also featuring the acronym EMI in their branding, and this was why! In fact, many ABC Cinemas featured the EMI name more prominently, and in the photograph below you can see the EMI logo present on Kilmarnock's façade, with the old Regal canopy since replaced with new signage featuring a readograph!

The 'ABC under EMI' era would last for 19 years, until in 1986 the chain was sold once more through an Australian businessman called Alan Bond that could only be described as 'a tad dodgy' to the American group known as Cannon. Does that name also sound familiar? The former ABC Cinemas were since re-branded, and the Cannon name appeared in cinemas all across the country.

But not for long. Strap in.

Sadly, Cannon was then taken over by an Italian businessman called Giancarlo Parretti, who could only be described as 'outrageously dodgy'. In fact, Giancarlo would soon after (when on the verge of bankruptcy) change the company's name to Pathé Communications, in a bizarre case of jumping the gun with a follow-up bid to purchase the entire iconic Pathé empire falling through. This would not however stop Parretti purchasing the equally iconic MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) brand around the same time. Yet it then transpired this new super company was involved in a highly illegal phony transaction to a sister chain of Cannon-owned cinemas in the Netherlands! The Dutch authorities inevitably unravelled Parretti's scheme, their bank seized control of his company, and he was sentenced to four years in prison. Ouch.

Thereafter, the Cannon/MGM hybrid began re-branding the majority of its cinemas once more, choosing the more iconic name of MGM Cinemas. Some of the smaller multiplexes however remained Cannon Cinemas, with the bizarre strategy of MGM opening new multiplexes in towns and markets already served by their Cannon cinemas, and then closing the Cannon cinemas 'due to the competition from the new multiplex' despite them being owned by the same company. Confused? Me too.

What we do know for sure is that Kilmarnock did endure a short period as an MGM cinema, before (surprise, surprise) the state of play would shift once more, as MGM Cinemas were bought over in 1995 by a gentleman called Richard Branson and his newly-founded Virgin Cinemas. You have definitely heard of him. Yet unexpectedly, Virgin would then subsequently sell 90 of the 116 cinemas they inherited, choosing to focus on their larger multiplexes. Kilmarnock was one of the 90, that were then sold to a group called Cinven, who thereafter finally reinstated the ABC name. ABC was back!

And yet, three years later the ABC would get some competition it sadly could not compete with, as the all-new state-of-the-art multiplex ODEON Kilmarnock opened on 10th July 1998. Well, that was just too much for the old ABC, and the building that started out an astonishing 95 years prior as the King's Theatre would close for good in 1999.

Ironically, one year later, the Cinven Group that owned ABC would make a historic purchase from the Rank Organisation... ODEON Cinemas.

Therefore, at the turn of the century, the ABC name virtually disappeared, as the remaining ABC venues were either re-branded as ODEONs, or closed for good. Except strangely in Bournemouth, where despite having two cinemas on the same street, ODEON kept the ABC name in operation until 2017, when the nation waved goodbye to the final ABC. One of the attendees in Bournemouth at that historic last screening? Your chair and chief projectionist, Guy Walker!

Sadly though, for the ABC in Kilmarnock the years have not been kind. Now having lay derelict for almost 25 years, the building that once was one of the finest theatres in the country is in a sorry state. There have been numerous plans to change the building's use over the years, most recently as an indoor food market, yet no serious renovation work appears to have started.

Strangely and heartbreakingly, some interior photographs that were shared publicly over the last few years, appear to show areas of the interior of the building as a brick shell with the steel frame clearly visible. This suggests that despite not being successfully converted since the closure of the cinema, the building's original interior features have all but disappeared.

It helps put into perspective for us how lucky we are that the Broadway remains as such an incredible survivor. The sad truth is that if a golden age cinema has managed to survive all the way until 2024 then the majority are now shadows of their former self. And the ABC in Kilmarnock is a prime example of just how devastating dereliction can be.

And yet, it still stands. On a streetscape that countless residents have said is crying out for regeneration and a focal point for their community. It may be mostly a brick shell, yet historic buildings have come back from far worse! In many areas our own beloved Broadway will require being taken back to brick and re-developed using the same materials and same methods to the same design. The ABC's Category B-listed status has got it this far. Maybe it can one day also receive the same TLC that we will see in Prestwick.

It sure would deserve it.

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👏 Become a member and support of our heritage projects and the Broadway's upcoming restoration by signing up here: friendsofthebroadwayprestwick.com/membership

🎺 Bugle Rewind: Issue 15! Notes from the Projection Room: Love at First Sight ✨

Another week in August, another Bugle rewind! This time to Issue 15 from February, when our Project Development Officer shares his first encounter with the art of projection, and the beating heart of the Broadway!

🎉 As a member of the Broadway you receive exclusive access to our official magazine the Broadway Bugle! The Bugle features behind-the-scenes updates from the Broadway's restoration, and several recurring articles from our chief projectionist, heritage curator, and even our official writer-in-residence and published author Martin Stewart! Becoming a member is the best way to support the project and learn all there is to know about the Broadway's past, present, and future! You can sign up as a member using the link at the bottom of this post!

Let's step into our very own time capsule. 🧭

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This first photograph holds emotional significance for me. It was taken on my first ever visit to the Broadway on 16th April 2021, also my first ever encounter with cinema projectors.

Up until that point, like most of you reading this, and the vast majority of people across the world, I had never been inside a projection room of a cinema.

Despite already being a director of the Broadway for almost three years too, I had also never been inside the Broadway! Until that day, all I had were a few photographs of our projection room online, taken by others years prior, so I knew roughly what to expect but any actual knowledge of how the machines operated remained a total mystery to me. Finally walking through that door for the first time is now a core memory I will remember for the rest of my life.

My first thought upon entering was shock at the sheer size of the projectors! Nothing could have prepared me for that. Towering above me they seemed eternal, two sentinels as old as time. The power of history washed over me bringing with it a tidal wave of emotion. The memories and moments in time that everything in this room had witnessed and helped provide. These projectors showed films to my grandparents, and great grandparents. They looked out at an auditorium packed with over one thousand people. Through the portholes once you could have glimpsed Sir Harry Lauder, Vivian Blaine, or Bob Hope standing on stage. And the first beam of light shone through on 29th April 1935, now almost 89 years ago.

Attempting to take everything in at once was also impossible. Being immersed in a living time capsule means experiencing sensory overload. I can't tell you how many times I had viewed the gallery on the Scottish Cinemas website up until that day, when friends of the project Gordon Barr and Gary Painter visited soon after the closure of the Leisure Centre in 2005. So I had seen photographs before of the telephone on the wall, the original rewind bench, the record players, and more, yet being confronted with them all at once after years of wondering was truly special.

The voyage of discovery that followed was a joy. Finding long-forgotten newspapers, batteries, sprockets, and reels. Bottles with mysterious unknown substances, and boxes with carbons still wrapped in plastic, brand new and unused for 45 years. The atmosphere is so rich and evocative it is almost indescribable, and needs to be experienced to be fully understood. Standing there it truly feels like you are the first person to do so since the projectionist locked the door for the last time after showing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1976. That you are the next shift, clocking in almost half a century later.

It is an immersive experience like no other. Following in the footsteps of projectionists of the past, one can't help but reach out and flick switches that have had no power to them for decades. Striking the arc, opening the dowser, rewinding reels. Operating the lighting rig and peering through the portholes you could almost see the auditorium changing colour before your eyes. Picking up the phone and pushing the button for the manager you almost expect to hear a reply, yet no one is ever at the other end of the line.

Naturally then, after months of exploring, discovering, and documenting in intense levels of detail, that passion then transforms into curiosity and intrigue.

Just how did the projectors actually work?

What initially followed was hours of research on projection methods of the past. Determined to learn more, countless videos were watched and articles read, all on how to operate 35mm projectors.

In the years since I have also been fortunate enough to learn from real projectionists. From my own chief, chair, and close friend Guy; and representative of the Projected Picture Trust, David. Add to that the electrical and mechanical wisdom and insight of Keith and I have now learned so much already about an artform I had next to no knowledge of just a few years ago.

Beginning our heritage journey has also been one of the greatest adventures of my life! Visiting cinemas past and present across the country and saving long-forgotten and condemned equipment is extraordinarily rewarding. I have since experienced the same thrill and awe from discovering the Broadway's projection room for the first time in several other locations, uncovering items over 100 years old and perfectly preserved, disassembling a fully working set-up ready to return to Prestwick to serve audiences once again, even getting to explore my childhood cinema behind-the-scenes just days after it closed. The Broadway has taken me all over Scotland to towns and villages I may never have visited otherwise. From the Mull of Kintyre in Campbeltown to the very top of Caithness in Thurso!

The journey continues too! Not only our heritage travels and the expansion of our collections, but my own personal journey of learning. In the Broadway of the future we aim to preserve a profession mostly extinct. Our chief will need an armada of trained and trainee projectionists supporting the incredible programme of analogue and digital film the Broadway of the future will host. With the support of the PPT, leading industry professionals, and a member-base passionate about the revival of golden age showmanship, the sky is the limit. Anyone fancy forging a new career path in the future?

Me? I'll still be starting out as rewind boy.

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👏 Become a member and support of our heritage projects and the Broadway's upcoming restoration by signing up here: friendsofthebroadwayprestwick.com/membership

🎉 If you are a member of the Broadway you will already have received your invitation to this year's Annual General Meeting! To be held on Friday 30th August at Prestwick Academy, 2024's AGM is shaping up to be a very special one... ☺

As announced at the weekend, we are participating in Doors Open Days on 14th and 15th September, with the highlight of the event being the first public consultation of our initial architectural concept designs for Phase One of the Broadway's restoration. We can now let you know that our members will gain early access! To round off the AGM next week, we will share the designs will all in attendance to discuss as members the future of the Broadway before the plans are shared with the public two weeks later. And it's not too late to sign up and get the first look! ✨

You can become a member by clicking the link below, and thereafter gain access to the AGM and a wide range of member-exclusive benefits, all the while supporting our project and the Broadway's revival! Be a part of Prestwick's history! 👏

Join now: friendsofthebroadwayprestwick.com/membership

☎️ We have a new telephone number!

Our contact number has been updated, and you can now reach us at 07588 128 138! The line will be remain operational Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm, if you wish to discuss anything related to the project from membership, events, or any general enquiries.

We look forward to hearing from you! ✨

👏 Congratulations to Louise who yesterday finished the Scottish Half Marathon on behalf of the Broadway, and successfully raised £300! 🎉

We are so incredibly proud! Months of training, dedication, and commitment to raise funds to help bring our cinema back to our community! Louise fell in love with the Broadway as we did after choosing us for her final year engineering project at Heriot-Watt University, together with Chlöe, Ella, and Aislinng! ☺

We can't thank Louise enough and can't wait to welcome the Emplace team back to the Broadway soon! ❤️

🎉 We are absolutely thrilled to announce that the Broadway Cinema will be participating in Doors Open Days 2024!

Our foyer will be open to all on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September, for a special weekend featuring an ultra-exclusive programme of presentations and demonstrations, including the first chance to glimpse 'The Broadway Cinema of the Future' as we showcase our first concept designs for Phase One of the Broadway's restoration, developed in collaboration with our architects at Burrell Foley Fischer. This public consultation will provide the opportunity to get your first glimpse at what the future of your cinema may look like! Your voice will be heard, as your own thoughts and feedback will be directly relayed to our architects to ensure our community's vision for the Broadway is a collective one, and that your cinema becomes all things to all people!

🕒 The design concepts will be presented from 3pm to 4;30pm, with ample time for Q&As and extensive feedback sessions. The full programme will repeat on both Saturday and Sunday, and to launch the event on both days you can also attend 'The History of the Broadway' presentation, featuring an all-new virtual walkthrough of the remainder of the building. Having only recently purchased the Broadway we need some additional time to complete some important health and safety work before we can offer full in-person tours. Nevertheless, from the Art Deco surroundings of our original foyer you can enjoy your most in-depth look yet of the behind-the-scenes of Prestwick's sleeping giant from 10am to 11:30am.

🎞 It wouldn't be an Open Day without some film too. From 12pm to 2pm, you can attend a unique 35mm projection showcase courtesy of your friendly chief projectionist! Our Cinemeccanica Victoria 5 will roar once again as you can enjoy a rare inside look at the operation of an analogue film projector. Trailers, advertisements, and daysets will be shown in a curated programme of 35mm film. Also on display will be our bonus heritage exhibit 'Other Cinemas of Ayr, Prestwick & Troon' with updated photographs and information about all of our former golden age neighbours! Also returning will be our interactive workshops with the opportunities to share your memories of the past and visions for the future. You may even get a ticket from our new Automaticket machine!

✨ The weekend will provide more opportunities than ever before to get involved in the Broadway's journey! You can become a member, register as a volunteer, and donate to support the upcoming restoration of your cinema. We can't wait to welcome you back to the Broadway in four weeks' time!

See you there Prestwick! 👋