We’ve come a long way baby.
This is just a short introduction to a long history of entertainment at the Empire which today provides top first class live shows and entertainment, which include Live Music, Theatre, Comedy, Films and much more.
Opened in May 1915 as a purpose-built cinema with 450 seats, it then added live entertainment to the bill early on. By 1927 it was operated by the Tozer & Linsell Circuit. It was rejuvenated in the 1930’s, scrapping live shows from the bill and concentrating purely on films. The Empire did - and still has - one feature its competitors did not which will be remembered by hundreds of courting couples - double seats at the back of the auditorium.
At the start of the 1950’s, the Empire Cinema was bought by Ken and Harry Foulconbridge, and it received a make-over in 1951 that remains to this day. Again, the theatre closed in 1971 due to dwindling admissions.
Happily, the building was eventually bought by Halstead Town Council and leased out to the Empire Theatre Trust, a small body of volunteers headed by Brian Stanion and actor Alan Helm who sweated and worked to re-open the cinema against much criticism. The Gala opening was on Monday, 27th November 1978 in the presence of Sir John Ruggles Brise, with the showing of the film "The 39 Steps" starring Robert Powell.
How it started...
The Theatre has come a long way since those days, weathering the ups and downs of the film industry and surviving a global pandemic.
But what’s so remarkable about the Empire is its power of survival, and that power lies in its volunteers. Over the past few years, their vim and vigour has seen the Empire rise again. It's always hosted local dramatic society performances, bingo and live acts, but the fundraising Cinema Strikes Back campaign resulted in the resumption of film screenings in April 2017 and the number of community-focused continue to grow.
In the 2020s, technology has become the Empire's friend, with a renewed ability to bring high-quality sound and images to smaller venues allowing performances from national venues to be streamed as live events.
The Empire though is much more than bums on seats; it’s a community service run by local people, not a corporation. A place where older people can relive memories and our youngest residents can make them. As such it epitomises the spirit of Halstead past and present.
Together we can build an Empire…