This is the same top of the Wellgate Steps area in the previous photo only in it's brand new transformation into the Wellgate Centre, Library and Steps Theatre. The image taken in 1979.
I used to go to the Steps Theatre quite a lot in the late 70's/early 80's for it's cinema. They used to show quite a lot of obscure French films, art house movies and underground stuff in general. The most commercial they got would probably be Woody Allen pictures.
Mind you, as a consequence of putting on such arty stuff the place would be pretty empty a lot of the time. All you'd see was rows and rows of bright green seats and hardly any audience! In fact the only one time I remember it being packed to capacity was when they showed a 2 hour Loony Tunes cartoon extravaganza. Bugs, Daffy, Droopy and the rest of them. Now that WAS entertaining!
The graphic is their well known ident which they used in their adverts.
I think I saw Back to the Future here in the 80s, but it may have been at the cinema across the road, I can't quite remember. During the 1990s (and possibly still today?), the theatre was used by Abertay for lectures. I remember on more than one occasion I had a lecture in the Steps followed immediately by a tutorial in the building just off Ward Road (just a few doors away from the pub in the recent blog post) - I have never run so fast in all my life to get to the latter on time!
ReplyDeleteFullest I ever saw The Steps was for an early showing of the Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense". Folk were actually dancing in the isles!
ReplyDeleteI saw this there 🤩
DeleteI remember going to see the somewhat hippyish 'Sir Henry at Rawlinson End' film back in the day.
ReplyDeleteThe memory of the overpowering stench of sweaty desert boots still lives with me to this day!
The only time I remember going to the Steps was a showing of a 1950's 3-D monster film - everyone had specs to wear!
ReplyDeleteIf you were a regular you'll probably remember the loud crack through the speakers half way through the features. Striking up the lamp just before the changeover used to have folks nearly soiling themselves.
ReplyDeleteWe did good business in the Steps till the odeon opened at the stack. Lost some trade then but still managed a good few full houses. Which was a bugger if you were in for a foreign flick, you could never read the subtitles with a fat head in front of you !
The interior is still in pretty good shape, I was in it about a year ago. I'm sure it wouldn't take much to get the place back into a going concern
ReplyDeleteIt is a going concern, still used by the libraries for conferences and Dundee archive film nights. Just video projection sadly,35mm projectors are in Dunoon. It's had a revamp but unfortunately that included removing the green jute wallpaper which actually gave it near perfect acoustics.
ReplyDeleteHiya Ian. Not sure if your profile is still linked to an email address but on the off chance you do see this, did you work at the Steps around this period? I'm making a short film about the Steps & the impact it had on me as a teenager in the late 80's. Would love to ask you a few questions if you were up for it. You can get me on info at softerror dot co dot uk. Thanks.
DeleteHi Mark, I did indeed work at the steps but from the early 90's till it's closure. My 80's visits were as a customer. Ask away though if you have any questions, gmail fine.
DeleteHi Ian,
DeleteHad a tab open in case you replied but thought the chances were slim! Great! I can't see your gmail address but if you don't want to post it here feel free to drop me a hello email to info at softerror dot co dot uk. Cheers! Ian
Frequent flyer at the steps in the 1980s, would like to talk.
ReplyDelete