Abandoned Outdoor Theatre

Abandoned Outdoor Theatre. Lyons VA Hospital. Basking Ridge, NJ. July 2007.

Strangely, this abandoned outdoor theatre is on the grounds of a newly-refurbished, modern and bustling-with-activity complex of hospital buildings that are well-attended and patrolled by VA Police 24-7. (I am still not certain how I didn't get chased out.) There is even a 9-hole golf course with memberships open to the public just outside the fencing that surrounds this abandoned spot, yet in this particular area, there is an eerie cone of dormant silence.

Years ago, when driving through the multi-acre complex, I remember seeing and hearing musical performances happening on this stage with many spectators filling the 50-odd rows of metal benches (which I would guess could seat about 500). From time to time, after dusk, there would be movies projected onto the back wall of the rather massive stage from the "eye" of the brick projector house and concession stand. There was always a large crowd of spectators beneath the cone-shaped ray of light that came from the projector house, piercing the night with luminous images. These activities, however, seem to be no more for the Lyons VA Hospital patients. Only silence remains.