object(App\MenuItem)#440 (23) {
  ["table":protected]=>
  string(10) "menu_items"
  ["connection":protected]=>
  NULL
  ["primaryKey":protected]=>
  string(2) "id"
  ["keyType":protected]=>
  string(3) "int"
  ["perPage":protected]=>
  int(15)
  ["incrementing"]=>
  bool(true)
  ["timestamps"]=>
  bool(true)
  ["attributes":protected]=>
  array(10) {
    ["id"]=>
    string(2) "75"
    ["menu_id"]=>
    string(1) "1"
    ["label"]=>
    string(21) "Volunteer Adrian Ball"
    ["description"]=>
    string(98) "An Almodovar fan and film scholar, Adrian also indulges in a 5-hour Bergman-fest every Christmas! "
    ["url"]=>
    string(32) "/meet-our-volunteers-adrian-ball"
    ["order"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["parent_id"]=>
    string(2) "21"
    ["created_at"]=>
    string(19) "2022-10-16 10:16:53"
    ["updated_at"]=>
    string(19) "2023-10-01 17:03:14"
    ["deleted_at"]=>
    NULL
  }
  ["original":protected]=>
  array(10) {
    ["id"]=>
    string(2) "75"
    ["menu_id"]=>
    string(1) "1"
    ["label"]=>
    string(21) "Volunteer Adrian Ball"
    ["description"]=>
    string(98) "An Almodovar fan and film scholar, Adrian also indulges in a 5-hour Bergman-fest every Christmas! "
    ["url"]=>
    string(32) "/meet-our-volunteers-adrian-ball"
    ["order"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["parent_id"]=>
    string(2) "21"
    ["created_at"]=>
    string(19) "2022-10-16 10:16:53"
    ["updated_at"]=>
    string(19) "2023-10-01 17:03:14"
    ["deleted_at"]=>
    NULL
  }
  ["relations":protected]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["hidden":protected]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["visible":protected]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["appends":protected]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["fillable":protected]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["guarded":protected]=>
  array(1) {
    [0]=>
    string(1) "*"
  }
  ["dates":protected]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["dateFormat":protected]=>
  NULL
  ["casts":protected]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["touches":protected]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["observables":protected]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["with":protected]=>
  array(0) {
  }
  ["exists"]=>
  bool(true)
  ["wasRecentlyCreated"]=>
  bool(false)
}
Home / About / Volunteer / Meet our volunteers - Adrian Ball

One of the things that makes the Electric Palace such a great place to visit is our fabulous, dedicated volunteer team. 

So, who are the people who welcome you when you visit the cinema? Find out in our Meet the Volunteers series...

Name: Adrian Ball

What prompted you to volunteer at the cinema?

Lifelong love of cinema and movies. I have an MA in film studies and completed my thesis on the films of Pedro Almodovar. I'm interested in world cinema and my favourite directors are Ingmar Bergman, Pedro Almodovar and Hitchcock, and especially like that The Electric Palace is independent and selects an eclectic mix of movies across all genres.

How long have you been volunteering at the cinema?

About three months.

What's your favourite thing about the cinema?

It is independent and screens a diverse range of independent, non-mainstream movies.

What special perk do you love as a volunteer at the Electric Palace?

Enjoyed the pizza at volunteer get-together.

Tell us about an experience at the cinema (not necessarily at the Electric Palace).

As a kid watching the flickering light from the projection booth and wondering how it displayed such magical images on the screen.

What film would you like to watch at the cinema?

I would love audiences to experience Bergman’s five-hour version of Fanny and Alexander which would probably be more than two days! I watch this every Christmas.

Have you ever gone to see a movie and wanted to watch it again immediately?

Years ago in the days of the double bill films would screen continuously during the day. I would often sit through a movie two or three times (and you didn’t have to pay twice!)

Tell us about a favourite film of yours.

All About Eve or any film by Billy Wilder for sparkling dialogue, great narrative and acting.

What's a great soundtrack you listen to?

Baz Lurhman’s Romeo and Juliet.

Favourite snack at the cinema?

Pick 'n’ mix - expensive and too much sugar.

What's your favourite seat at The Electric Palace?

By the aisle, second row from the back at the side.

Finally, tell us something unusual about yourself. 

I have on occasion woken up to total, panic-inducing blindness, only to realise that I haven't opened my eyes yet.

Find out more about volunteering at the Electric Palace