Venue Information

Performing arts theater in Montague, Massachusetts

That time is still vivid in the minds of some Turners Falls residents as a time of five cent matinees, movie serials and (in the thirties) dish nights, when you could see a movie and add a piece of "Depression Glass" or china to your table setting. The Royal Rose Collection is currently displayed in the Shea lobby. The set, purchased in the late 1930's - early 40's was donated by Debra Marini.

The stage was the home for amateur theater productions put on by such groups as the American Legion Auxiliary, the Rotary Club, and the Turners High School Senior Play (until they had an auditorium of their own). Shea also brought in occasional vaudeville shows. He ran the theater until 1943 when he hired someone to manage it for him. He died in 1945 and his family sold it two years later. It continued to operate under various owners until 1956. It then remained dark except for a short time in 1963-64.