It’s been more than 50 years since Huntly residents have had the chance to take a trip to the cinema on their doorstep.
The Playhouse Cinema on Gordon Street closed its doors in 1970 – the year Love Story, starring a young Tommy Lee Jones, topped the box office.
And more than half a century on, locals finally got the chance to rekindle their own love story with the silver screen as the long-awaited Number 30 had its opening night.
A sell-out crowd filled the theatre, inside the newly revamped community hub to watch Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, perhaps appropriate for a building brought back from the dead.
And I popped along to hear from excited locals as the screen burst into life for the first time in decades.
Eager film buffs arrive early doors
I arrived to Number 30 a whole 45 minutes before the film was scheduled to start… and I wasn’t even the first one there!
Holly and Greig Robertson were the first pair through the doors of the new Huntly cinema, and had travelled from Insch to take in the spectacle.
“It’s absolutely phenomenal,” Holly beamed.
“Having something for entertainment in Huntly is huge for the area.”
As the cafe, which is not fully open yet, fills up with film buffs, I chat to Kevin and Carol McKen, and Hilda Fulton, about the new cinema right on their doorstep.
Until this very night, the trio had had to drive for miles to watch the latest blockbusters – with their nearest options being in Elgin, Peterhead and Aberdeen.
“It’s very exciting. It’s a novelty to be out on a Thursday night in Huntly!” Kevin smiles.
Carol chimes in: “It’s a good addition to the town, and hopefully can bring people from outwith Huntly to come to the town centre.”
‘I remember going to the Playhouse Cinema – it’s so great to have one in Huntly again’
Also here at the cinema’s opening night are Huntly locals Sara and Rob Chitty.
Sara tells me she had been many a time to the Playhouse when it was open, but couldn’t remember exactly what film she had saw. After all, it closed 54 years ago.
“I went to the original cinema and that was great,” she reminisces.
“It takes a while to get to Aberdeen from here, so it’s nice we have one back in Huntly.
“This will be fantastic to bring the grandchildren to, and to have it on your doorstep is even better.”
Meet the team behind Huntly cinema’s opening night
As the clock ticks towards the film starting at 7:30pm, Huntly Development Trust (HDT) volunteers are hard at work to make sure things are running smoothly.
Debbie Haefner, the interim manager at Number 30, manages to find a quick minute to chat with me in amongst all the buzz and excitement of opening night.
“It’s been a long time coming, there’s been a lot of hard work and effort put in,” she tells me.
“We’re so glad it’s finally open.
“It’s amazing to hear the buzz around the place. The excitement behind the counter is great.
“We couldn’t have done it without the volunteers.”
‘It’s usually not this vibrant on a Thursday night!’
Jill Andrews has also given up her time for HDT, as a volunteer architect.
She is here with her daughter Annie, and they are “delighted” to see Huntly locals turn out in their droves to the new cinema.
“It’s usually not this vibrant on a Thursday!” Jill laughs.
Number 30 grand opening a long time coming
After the closure of Cruickshanks furniture store in 2018, the future of Number 30 at The Square hung in the balance.
The listed landmark stood empty, without a purpose and slowly slipping into ruin.
HDT, however, were determined to do something.
They managed to buy the building in 2019, and after securing £3 million in funding they began to turn the town’s dreams into a reality.
And despite facing the pandemic, and many, many construction hurdles, the trust’s vision has come to life in the form of a vibrant, bustling community hub.
Six years ago when they first picked up the project, volunteers perhaps had their doubts about the size of their success.
But the sight of that sold-out theatre, bursting with energy and excitement, was the Hollywood ending they had surely been hoping for.
Read more:
Conversation