I used to have my assemblies at the Stanley Theatre, too. I was going there since probably 8 years old. I actually gave a bible reading there, when i was 9 years old. Also, did a part on there as one of the kids of a "spiritual family", with another young girl my age, who was the PO's daughter, and our "parents" were a middle aged pioneer couple, lol. I was nervous as HELL, being a 9 yr old kid up on that stage, and in front of THOUSANDS of people. The worst part, was being backstage waiting before you went on stage, thats when your nerves kick in.
Later on, in my pre- and early teens, i remember all the "hang out" spots, that the Stanley theater had. Sometimes, i would meet my friends, during lunchbreak, at the lion fountain, on the side of the main seating area on the ground floor. We would call it the "spitting Lion", it was a Lions head with water sqirting from its mouth and into a "bowl".
Or, we had a meeting spot, downstairs, by where the underground bathrooms were. Does anybody remember HOW MANY stalls there were in those bathrooms? Especially the womans room, they probably had over 50 stalls in a row, just so there would never be a line. After one assembly, it was my congregations turn for the cleaning assignment, and i will never forget ALL those bathrooms/toilets/sinks, that needed cleaning.
This really applies to any older assembly, not just Stanly theater, but i remember the old food "tickets", and the food, like burritos, chicken sandwiches, and the ham n egg breakfast sandwiches, or at least in America they had that. I DO remember the ice cream machines at the Stanley theater. There would always be, bad little kids, loading up on TOO much ice cream, and getting "caught" by MaMA, as she threw little Jamal, an ASS WHIPPIN.
I remember, when you first walked into the theater, there was a large, circular, tiled compass?, on the floor, and i remember a "sister" holding a baby, slipping and falling on the, nice slick tile.
My, father used to always want to sit towards the front, and i used to HATE that shit. When you went to the bathroom, you would have to walk that whole, long walkway, to the back, and you are thinking everybody is staring at you. LOL, i remember a large, fat, "brother" making the "long walk" back to his seat, and his suit jacket was shoved/tucked down his pants, in the back. It looked like he had a "quicky" and barely got his pants back on. There would always be the "sister" making the "long walk" back to her seat, from the bathroom, and with a length of toilet paper stuck to her high heel.
And, lastly, i will never forget all the fashionable "black sisters", and their GIGANTIC FREAKING HATS, lol. Some of those things were INSANE, and looked like satelite TV dishes, on their heads. There were these. big, flowery, lacy, monstrosities, randomly all over the place, and blocking children, and short adults, from seeing anything on the stage.
Good times, good times, at the old OPULENT STANLEY THEATER. Makes many of Christendoms houses of worship, look like a garage.
