Oude Luxor Theater – Backstage Pass!

Last week a friend asked if I would go along with her to check out a photo club here in Rotterdam.  She left a link to the Urban Photo Collective on Facebook and asked me to check it out.  My first instinct was to decline, because it’s a Dutch group and I was nervous about not fitting in.  I tried to do that inner self pep talk thing that I do from time to time and quickly messaged her to let her know I would go, before I had a chance to change my mind.

So that Saturday afternoon we hopped on the tram and went to meet the group.  I’d be lying  if I said I wasn’t nervous, but once we arrived I felt much better as they were very friendly and welcoming.

I had been under the impression that we were going to do a photo walk around some of the bridges in the city, but when we arrived we were told by the organizer that he had a surprise for us (I love surprises! ), he had gotten us into the Old Luxor Theater to look around!  I was really excited to hear this because I had been there twice before and remember wondering what it would be like to be able to take some proper photos, as it is never allowed during a performance.  The first time I was there was my frightening visit to see the acrobats and the second time was for this year’s Rotterdam Film Festival.

I thought we would be able to go in and they’d let us in the theater, but it was so much better than that.  They basically opened the doors and let us crawl through the place like cockroaches.  We were allowed to roam free, go down into the dressing rooms, climb up in around the scaffolding backstage and anywhere else that struck our fancy.  It was very cool.

The theater itself is gorgeous.  The multicolored seating with the loveseats thrown in here and there gives it such an interesting look.  It was hard to not just take a thousand photos of the lights and seating alone.

I probably could have stopped after a hundred photos of the seats, but the lighting, ohhh the lighting. I loved it!  Especially the shape as it crawls along the wall and across the ceiling. It really made every photo different depending on the angle you capture it.

Being able to go down into the dressing rooms was an experience I wasn’t expecting.  I’m not sure what I thought was going to be waiting for me but it was something along the lines of what you see on TV.  You know, the superstars in their super lush dressing room.  That really wasn’t the case at all, they were pretty modest and sort of like Dutch doctors offices… just the bare minimum.  I guess it cuts down on costs and makes cleaning up easy.

They were also in the basement, with walls covered in posters for shows that have played in the theater over the years.

I didn’t take any photos in the regular dressing rooms as nothing really interested me, so I walked around opening doors and peeking to see what was inside.  That’s when I found this little gem…

What in the…?

The other dressing rooms had plain white walls, a plain white countertop and some plastic chairs.  The walls were covered in mirrors surrounded by white lights and each room had its own sink. That’s pretty much it.  I’m not sure who the special person was that got this dressing room, but they certainly put their own touch on it!  Wow.  Just, wow!

After that disturbing display, I found a rather cool lounge area.

The neon Luxor sign was my favorite bit.   I had these images in my head of those little acrobats hanging out in this room between their sets, having a few beers.  No wonder my friend and I were so frightened for our lives.  This room should be strictly off limits for any show that requires throwing things.

After visiting the other areas I decided to take the plunge and climb up around the scaffolding backstage.  I went halfway up the stairs when I first got there, but then quickly turned around and went back down.  Yes, I chickened out, but I made a triumphant return.

I purposely made those two small because they are kind of blurry. I blame the lack of light and not the fact that I was shaking, because I wasn’t.

After all that climbing around and peeking into places I shouldn’t, I sat down to have a drink of water and just take in the scenery.  Then I noticed this…

I wonder who Arie & Silvester are, and I wonder how they managed to get their own loveseat.  Did they donate to renovations of the theater?  Are they people who work there?  More importantly, what do I have to do to get a Tammy & Xander loveseat?!

I really love this group, because they are all about getting out there and taking photos. They don’t judge, they don’t care what level you are and they just want to get together and enjoy their common hobby. Thankfully they welcome anyone along to enjoy it with them.  So if you’d like to do something like this, why not see if they are in a city near you?!

I am already looking forward to meeting up with them again.  If you are in the Rotterdam area, maybe I’ll see you there!