Monday, June 16, 2014

The Avalon Studio

Blessed Sacrament is a Catholic church in the Glebe. It was participating in Doors Open again this year. I haven't been inside before. The church dates back to 1932, and incorporates elements of Roman design, with an altar featuring Greek monograms.





A short walk away was another destination. The Avalon Studio opened last year. There was a full scale theatre called the Avalon in this part of the Glebe for decades, until it was gutted and turned largely into retail. The bones of the building are still there, though, and for some reason, the fly gallery of the old performance space was left untouched.


The guys who run the place were looking for studio space for acting lessons, and this place suited them. They're the two up above in this second photograph. They told me that the purpose of a learning center here has met their expectations, and that they completely underestimated the demand for a small performance space. The Avalon Studio is well booked for months to come.


The space is quite versatile for performances; depending on what's going on, music or theatre, they can fit between sixty to eighty audience members in here. It's a marvelously preserved old space, and for so long went unnoticed.







37 comments:

  1. I love that church and the stained glass windows. And I love the exposed brick in the studio. Great shots, William.

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  2. It's great to see old buildings find new purpose.

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  3. Very nice stained glass and I'm very glad that it's booked and doing so well!

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  4. Love that they have turned an old theater back into a theater! I am really enjoying your Doors Open experience!

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  5. Those stained glass windows are magnificent! I'm glad Avalon Studio found its niche. I find it sad when the performing arts can't find suitable homes.

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  6. That Avalon studio looks like a good resource to have nearby.

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  7. It is good to discover and experience new places.

    Tomás.

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  8. It's great to see such a special place open for live performances.

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  9. @Linda: thank you.

    @Petrea: this is such a good use for it.

    @Ciel: much more stained glass to come!

    @Halcyon: thank you.

    @hilda: I must take in a concert inn there sometime.

    @Mike: it is!

    @Tomas: quite true.

    @Luis: thanks!

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  10. beautiful stained glass! glad to hear the old church is keeping busy!!

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  11. Lovely stained glass. I like that name, "Avalon".

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  12. It's always fun to hear about theatre spaces that are thriving. I've been to plays in some very odd locations and it's always interesting to see how they can make the space work.

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  13. The old church is beautiful. Great stained glass. The Avalon studio is very busy. I love the old brick. MB

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  14. Very impressive entrance up to the old church William, gorgeous stained glass windows, they always look fabulous from inside. The Avalon Theatre was a nice little surprise find, sixty to eighty as an audience sounds perfect, intimate!

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  15. @Nathalie: it has an intimate feel inside. Just a wonderful performance space.

    @Tex: so are the owners!

    @Merisi: I think so too.

    @Tanya: that church is a fixture in the community.

    @Judy: it's a good name, and a good touch that they've made use of it again.

    @Sharon: I'll have to see something performed inside.

    @MB: so did I. The exposed brick really adds to the atmosphere.

    @Grace: I was surprised that first shot highlights a man in the shadows of the sanctuary.

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  16. An interesting building and I like the theater part!

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  17. Nice church! And always so nice when old buildings--or even parts of them--can be preserved and useful!

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  18. Those windows are amazing. Indeed, people add scale!

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  19. That small theatre is wonderful! Great church too but I bet the altar was more ornate in 1932.

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  20. Love the stained glass windows!

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  21. The church altar actually looks very modern. And how nice that the Avalon is meeting with such success.

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  22. @VP: I was quite surprised by the theatre!

    @Cheryl: the Avalon lives on in a new way.

    @Greensboro: definitely!

    @RedPat: it might have been, but maybe not. Not every Catholic church goes over the top.

    @Norma: there's more of that to come.

    @Kay: I rather like the Greek lettering on the altar.

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  23. Beautiful stained glass - vibrant colours. How great that the Avalon is so well used and booked for months.

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  24. It's very impressive, especially that entrance. I did like the stained-glass, too, though!

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  25. Looks like a beautiful spot...gorgeous stained glass!

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  26. Interesting story. I love the stained glass!

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  27. those stain glass windows are so gorgeous. ( :

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  28. This reminds me of some of my actor-son's venues! He's now in Chemainus, on Vancouver Isl., in a show. Great spot!

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  29. The building of the church looks impressive. Classical Neo-Gothic. We will see the building as a whole?

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    Replies
    1. William, I understand what the difficulty, there is no where to go back.

      Is what is pictured between the stained glass windows, the altar?
      If this is the Catholic Church, the interior is kind of rough, like the Protestant church.
      Interesting thing.
      :)

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    2. If this is the Catholic Church, the interior is like a raw, harsh. (so probably better to write)

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  30. @EG: it's a good sign for the studio.

    @Lowell: I can never get enough of stained glass.

    @Chieftess: thank you!

    @Linda: that seems to be the consensus.

    @Beth: I'd say so!

    @Jose: it really surprised me.

    @Jennifer: thank you!

    @Mariusz: I will have to photograph that church from a different angle. I'd been thinking of it that day, but the tower was a problem. And yes, that is the altar. Yes, I was surprised by the austerity of the interior of the church, compared to some other Catholic churches.

    @Whisk: that's definitely the impression!

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