Moravia Theatre

S. Moravia Street,
New Castle, PA 16101

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The Moravia Theatre was one of many make-shift nickelodeons that sprung up everywhere around the turn of the century. As told to me by a pioneer projectionist, the Moravia Theatre was constructed out of sheet metal which made the building very vulnerable to both heat and cold. The auditorium consisted of a single crank projector and a screen of sorts on the opposite wall. Barely more than a sideshow attraction, the projectionist would shuffle through a few travelogues or novelty reels, each lasting 5 to 7 minutes. In warm weather the manager would walk down the aisle spraying a scented mist over the heads of perspiring customers there to witness ‘the miracle of the Kinetomograph’. If room was needed for fresh customers, the projectionist was ordered to crank faster to help drive out patrons who were deemed beyond their nickels-worth. Opening in 1903 the Moravia Theatre closed somewhere around 1906.

Contributed by Jack Oberleitner