SITTING in the well-worn remains of the once glorious Victoria Theatre, a former lolly boy, usherettes, a projectionist and two lovers who took a chance on a blind date reflect on the golden era of the longest standing theatre in the state.
Now, those stories have been honoured as Out of the Square Media (OOTS), Century Venues and Gavin Patton are named finalists in this year's National Trust Heritage Awards for their work on oral history series 'Remembered and Revisited' Victoria Theatre.
The visual time capsule was a true labour of love for OOTS founder Marty Adnum.
"There was always that thought that if we don't get this now, it's gone forever," he said.
"I think there's something about the emotion and tangible nature of theatre, if you go to that era of the 50s before our other distractions and Netflix, going to something, even if it was the cinema and not a live show, was held in such high regard.
"This lolly boy, he could not talk enough about putting that jacket on, his mum would come to the shows and see him, he was so proud.
"I am just blown away with that sort of stuff, they felt proud of something and knew they were contributing to joy."
The awards celebrate the conservation of Aboriginal, built, natural or cultural heritage, and OOTS, Century Venues and Gavin Patton are finalists in the education and interpretation category.
The series took about six months to make and follows the stories of 10 locals and their connection to the heritage-listed Victoria Theatre.
Opened in 1891, the curtains have remained closed since the 1960s, but the theatre is set to be revived thanks to an investment from Century Venues.
Mr Adnum said they 'threw the kitchen sink' at production for what truly was a passion project.
"It's all well and good to have our footy teams, but the future of Newcastle is more sophisticated in terms of our culture and smarts and I'd like to see it succeed," he said.
"We're absolutely over the moon to be finalists and it makes it even more special that all the people who told their stories will feel like they were part of something."
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in May.
To see more stories and read today's paper download the Newcastle Herald news app here.
