The building which now houses the Al Whittle Theatre has been a place where people gather to celebrate the theatrical and cinematic arts for one-hundred-fourteen years. Its journey began in 1911 as an opera house founded by Marshall and Ellouise Black, with its first showing being a motion picture adaptation of “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens on June 13, 1911.
In 1921, the building was purchased by Nathaniel Evens and was reopened as the Orpheum Theatre in November 1923. Orpheum Theatre closed in April of 1947, but was back in October of that year, under new management, as the Acadia Theatre. One significant renovation during this period was the removal of the old theater stage. While a temporary stage continued to be used for certain events for a time, this change reflected a major shift towards primarily cinematic showings. In 1953, management of the theatre was taken over by Al Whittle, its current namesake.
Along with this came a name change to the Acadia Cinema. The Acadia University community continued to become increasingly involved with the movie theatre under the new management. Students took advantage of both employment opportunities and student-focused events. Another major renovation took place in 1986, when seventy-five seats were removed in order to split the original theatre into two twin theatres. This was in an effort to offer customers more viewing options.
After Al Whittle retired from his role as manager in 2000, the theater was once again closed and put on sale. Two years passed with the building not being used but still supervised by Al Whittle while a buyer was searched for. News came in October of 2002, when a recent deal for a hotel on the property fell through leaving the building still on sale. Members of the Fundy Film Society set out on a mission to purchase the building and reestablish it as a theatre. A group of members created the Acadia Cinema Cooperative, Ltd, and shares were put on sale in order to gather the necessary funding. Among those who purchased shares were many Acadia University alum, living both locally and internationally. Having raised the necessary funds, the cooperative entered an agreement with Just Us! Coffee Roasters Co-op to purchase the building and respectively operate the new theatre and cafe. The theatre in its most recent form continues to act as a valued community space and gathering spot for both Acadia students and the wider Wolfville community.
One of the theatre’s current enterprises is a series of National Theatre Live (NT Live) screenings. These screenings are filmed live and feature contemporary productions and reimagining’s of well-known stories. The first of these is a new production of Shakespeare’s MacBeth, starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo. The screening will take place on February the 7th at 7:00 PM, and be accompanied by a pre-show lecture on the play by professor Anthony Harding at 6:30 PM. Acadia students can use the promo code HURLYBURLY3 for $3.00 off the General Admission ticket price. Future NT Live screenings at the theatre include new adaptations of The Importance of Being Earnest starring Sharon Clarke and Ncuti Gatwa on February 21st, as well as Dr. Strangelove featuring Steve Coogan on March 28th.
You can find the Al Whittle Theatre on 450 Main St, Wolfville, NS B4P 1E2, and online on their website, Facebook and Instagram.
