Digital for Ambridge Theatre

A silver-dollar size piece of plastic that cracked has forced the Ambridge Theatre to close after decades of operating in the borough.

Owners Glenda and Rick Cockrum said the unit is more than 40 years old and regretfully there are no replacement parts available anymore.

The broken piece isn't the projector itself, which Glenda Cockrum described as "old work horses" from the 1930s and 40s that continues to keep going strong.

"What's happened is a piece of equipment from the 70s that actually moves the film through the projection unit, that's where the cam broke and we can't locate another one so we're down."

Facing the transitioning cost to digital, Cockrum said they knew they were on the brink of closing, but thought they could stick it out until at least October. She said upgrading to digital equipment runs $50,000 to $75,000, but they located a company in Tennessee that found a system for $35,000.

the 100-year-old building needs work 

"This is it," she said. "We knew that we were hovering on the edge of closing due to the change over to digital and we were stretching it out."

Need funds to fix roof and upgrade to digital

(photos and article by www.AmbridgeConnection.com)