What to know about the recently reopened Forest Theater
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The entrance of the Forest Theater. Photo: Courtesy of Kwesi Yanful and Perry Peprah of Tiny Hawk Media
The reopening of the historic Forest Theater in South Dallas this month is a success story for historic preservationists and neighborhood activists.
Why it matters: The 1949 theater's restoration comes at a time when preservation and community identity are animating conversations in Dallas around older buildings with uncertain futures, like City Hall and Granada Theater.
Catch up quick: Years of fundraising by local nonprofit Forest Forward, created and led by southern Dallas resident Elizabeth Wattley, made the Forest Theater glow-up possible.
Flashback: Wattley's father, Thomas Wattley, told Axios at the reopening ceremony that he remembers sitting in the balcony to watch movies when the theater was segregated in the 1950s.
- He saw movies like "Ben-Hur" and "The Ten Commandments," but most vividly remembers seeing "Imitation of Life" with his mother because the ending had the "saddest scene" he had ever watched.
What's inside: Today the Forest Theater has evolved from a standard movie theater into a hub for arts, education and community engagement.
- It has a 1,000-person concert hall, a 200-seat black box theater, a 13,000-square-foot creative education lab, recording and podcast studios, rooftop gathering space, and community meeting areas.
- Artwork by local artists lines the walls in a gallery space, and merchandise is available for purchase inside.
What they're saying: For South Dallas residents like Clifton Reese, the reopening of the Forest Theater is historic and transformative.
- "You got the Fair Park, you got Forest Forward, you got everything that's coming, the development that's coming," Reese tells Axios. "You got everything that's happening from MLK all the way back to the Trinity River levee. So invest in South Dallas because then South Dallas is gonna invest in everything else."
Worthy of your time: Forest Theater is already hosting events, with DJ sets on the rooftop in November.
- The sets start at 8pm on Nov. 13 and Nov. 27. Tickets are $32.