Historic Beach Theatre returns to life in St. Pete Beach
Why it matters: It marks a new era for the sky-blue St. Pete Beach landmark, which originally opened in 1940 and has sat closed since 2012.
Grand-opening celebrations are planned throughout the weekend, featuring live local music and showings of " A New Wave: Revival of The Beach Theatre," a documentary about the theater's history and renovations.
What they're saying: "It's so surreal," the theater's director, Hannah Hockman, 26, told Axios.
"It's been a long road to finally get here, but we're so excited to finally welcome people back."
State of play: Hockman, a St. Pete Beach resident with a theater degree from Eckerd College, bought the venue with her entrepreneur parents on Leap Day last year, and renovations began in August.
Among the upgrades, per the Tampa Bay Times: a brand-new interior with 175 tall-person-approved seats, an "Art Deco meets beach" decor theme, and touches from history, like vintage movie posters and the original red marquee letters.
The new-and-improved venue will show two or three movies and hold at least one live event per month. A play festival, featuring staged readings of three works by local playwrights, is already on the docket for September.
Flashback: The original theater opened on Jan. 15, 1940, with a showing of "Dust Be My Destiny," the St. Pete Catalyst reported. It was Pinellas County's first theater built to accommodate films with sound.
As its ownership changed hands over the decades, the theater hung onto its independent roots and underwent cosmetic upgrades, like new seats and fresh paint.
Its most recent run was helmed by Hollywood screenwriter Michael France Jr. and featured regular weekend screenings of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
The aging theater closed in 2012, and France died the next year. The owner before the Hockmans bought the venue in 2021 and decided to sell after seeing how much work it would take to revamp it.
What's next: While tonight's event is sold out, the theater will host grand-opening celebrations all weekend, as well as on Monday night for hospitality and entertainment industry workers who work weekends, Hockman said.
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