Veronica’s Veil Theatre, USA

Veronica’s Veil is an abandoned theatre auditorium at a former Catholic high school in America. The nearby church and rectory, now converted to condominiums, date back to the mid-1800s. The school buildings were built in the 1880s and enlarged in the 1900s, when this auditorium was added.

The school holds one of the longest running Passion of Christ plays, titled Veronica’s Veil which was first performed 13 years after the auditorium was built. Veronica’s Veil is American theatrical adaptation of the end of Christ’s life, and his death and rebirth. The play was very popular in the 1920s, when the auditorium was enlarged to accommodate 800 seats. At this time the performances, typically held during Lent, drew over 20,0000 patrons a year spread over 20 or more performances.

The building now lays in ruin, floors collapsing and anything of value ransacked years ago. The windows are smashed and graffiti is emblazoned on the walls.

Decline and Closure

The church and rectory were sold and re-developed in the early 2000s, and a local theatre group acquired the school and continued performances for several years. However, the play had lost popularity, instead of playing to a packed auditorium attendance had fallen to less than 4,000 annually. The theatrical group were struggling financially. The gas supply was cut to the building due to over $40,000 in unpaid bills. The group still performed, using space heaters to heat the huge hall, Audience members began to leave mid-performance. Theatregoers would have to climb 34 steps to reach the auditorium, and there were cries for an elevator to assist entry for disabled customers and citing the Americans with Disabilities Act. The theatre group could not afford this, alienating many of the senior citizens which were some of the groups biggest supporters. There were attempts to raise money for maintenance and modernisation of the theatre, with community events and cocktail parties. Attendance levels continued to drop and by the early 2010s, this once popular stage was seeing its final performance.