The Cathay, Ipoh
A virtual tour.
By Valerie Kam.
History of Cathay Ipoh
A movie palace
Movie showtimes
What's showing at Cathay Ipoh today, and show times
Movie list
A list of the Mega-Hit movies ever played in this theater
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The Cathay, Ipoh A virtual tour. By Valerie Kam.
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History of Cathay Ipoh Movie showtimes Movie list |
  The snack bar in a corner of the spacious main lobby, where the ticket booth is located. |
Seating capacity is a spacious 1174 seats (798 for downstairs; 376 for upstairs). The stage which starts at about 5 feet 6 inches from the floor level is 35 feet tall (40 feet tall if measured from the floor to the ceiling), 25 feet deep and 70 feet wide not counting the dressing rooms. There is about 14 feet from the curtain line to the screen and another 11 feet beyond the screen to the back wall. The visible section of the curtains are 56 feet wide and 28 feet 6 inches tall. On the right hand side is a view of the auditorium from downstairs and also from upstairs.
The auditorium has a gentle upward slope towards the stage.
With the stage so high up, one does not have to worry about the person in the row in front blocking one's view. Even the very first row by the stage ('Z' row) is about 12 feet from the stage. So, one hardly has to strain one's neck.
During stage performances, the orchestra team will either be in front of the stage or behind the screen.
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Although there are 2 stairways, the main one is located at the corner of the front and side lobby with a high vaulted ceiling and a large round window giving it a feeling of being at home. There is also an old fashioned chandelier on the ceiling.
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 The refreshment bar....  ... in the equally spacious upstairs lobby. Below is the side lobby. |
Shengaran (also known as Shankar), who has recently moved to Klang, has managed the theatre for the last year. As a former hotelier and newcomer to Ipoh, he entered the theatre business with no exhibition experience. "The theatre was in a run-down condition when I arrived," he says. "I was totally new to the industry, and it was especially a challenge to learn the technical side. But I eventually learned, thanks to picking up things from magazines and people like Valerie." Shengaran first launched a series of improvements which included painting and the replacing of seats. "Comfort is a big thing here. That's one of the key ways to win back business." |
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Movie showtimes of other theatres |
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I thank the staff at Elderaan Technologies for their help in the design of this page. I also thank BOXOFFICE Magazine for featuring this theatre in the December 1998 issue. This page was updated on the 6th of January 1999 |