Norwood Theatre

johnag18 on May 11, 2006 at 1:02 am

I am the House Manager at the Fiddlehead Theatre in Norwood. The theater is scheduled to reopen this summer starting with it’s Fiddlehead Junior summer camp program followed by the 2006/2007 season show lineup. For more information go to our website www.fiddleheadtheatre.com

James Fisher on January 21, 2006 at 2:58 am

I did learn the company moved back to the boston area but iam uncertain where and the theatre is still vacant due to roof damanges Boston firm owns the building

Ron Newman on January 20, 2006 at 2:59 am

The following article appeared in the Norwood Bulletin on August 25, 2005. I am reposting it here with permission from the newspaper’s editor. The Bulletin has not published any more articles on the subject since then … but maybe they’ll follow up on it now, after getting my phone query this week.

An Uncertain Curtain Call
Fiddlehead Theatre plays at a standstill; Un-Common alliance quashed

By Cathy Maloney
Correspondent

Fiddlehead Theatre fans may be heartened by the marquee change at the historic downtown theater recently. The Bye Bye Birdie billboard, in place since the show ended in April, was removed to announce a one night concert by Norwood’s own Harry and the Potters.

But a theater alliance announced in June between Fiddlehead and a Mansfield theater group was called off by Fiddlehead just two weeks after it was announced. And Fiddlehead’s own performance schedule is silent, with no auditions announced.

The Un-Common Theatre of Mansfield, a youth theater production company, was to have done three performances at Fiddlehead â€" two this year and one in the spring of 2006. In addition, a combined holiday musical production with Fiddlehead was planned for December of this year.

Fiddlehead Theatre founder and president Meg Fofonoff recently confirmed that the planned alliance had been called off, but declined further comment. She also declined to comment on plans for Fiddlehead’s upcoming season.

The Fiddlehead web site has no specific information yet on the 2005-2006 season, and no calls for auditions.

When the alliance was made in June, Fofonoff had plenty to say in a statement.

“Theater is at its best when you can create a symbiotic relationship like the one we are working on here,” she said. “The costs of theatrical productions are soaring and more theater groups are looking to help each other by loaning each other sets and costumes.”

Chris Lowey, Un-Common Theatre president, said she was informed by Fiddlehead that the alliance was off two weeks after the June announcement was made.

Un-Common’s first production at Fiddlehead, Bat Boy, was scheduled to be performed the last weekend of July. Lowey was able to secure a location in Bellingham in time for the show.

As for why the alliance was called off by Fiddlehead, Lowey said it was “for their own reasons” and that Fiddlehead’s “situation changed.”

Lowey did acknowledge that it’s a tough time for community theatre groups.

“I don’t have people to manage along with a building,” she said. “There is a simple solution â€" money.”

Unlike Fiddlehead, which is privately owned, Lowey’s theater group leases space for its productions.

“We don’t have the pressures that those who own and manage properties do,” Lowey said.

Until this year’s arrangement with Fiddlehead, Un-Common performed at the Orpheum in Foxboro and other locations.

Royalties for live productions are paid based on seating capacity. Fiddlehead has a 514-seat main stage, as well as 210 seats upstairs.

Children’s theater classes were held this summer, the last session finishing up Aug. 19.

Fiddlehead Jr. Theatre’s summer program included five sessions which had the children working on productions such as Les Mis Jr. and Little Shop of Horrors.

James Fisher on January 18, 2006 at 11:55 am

YES THE CINEMA IS CLOSED I DROVE BUY THERE ON NEW YEARS

James Fisher on January 18, 2006 at 2:57 am

I HAD READ THE THEATRE CLOSED DUE TO SOME ROOF DAMANGE I SURLY WOULD HAVE LOVED TO TAKEN THE THEATRE OVER AGAIN jIM

David Wodeyla on October 23, 2004 at 11:30 pm

The Film Daily Yearbooks list the Norwood Theatre with 1200 seats. There were two other theatres in town, the Guild with 600 seats, and the Southern with 360. Any information on those would be interesting. Both the Guild and the Norwood were owned by the George Giles Co., which later merged with Phil Smith’s Theatrical Enterprises. In the early 1950’s, this Company became known as General Drive-In, and later, General Cinema.

William on November 20, 2003 at 11:31 pm

When the Norwood Theatre was a single screen movie theatre it seated 1195 people.