Richey Suncoast Theatre facts for kids
The Richey Suncoast Theatre is a special old building in New Port Richey, Florida. It started as a movie theater in 1925 and later became a place for live plays and community shows.
The theater is named after a famous actor from silent movies, Thomas Meighan. Silent movies are films without spoken words, only music and sometimes text on screen. It first opened its doors on July 1, 1926, and was called the Meighan Theatre. The very first movie shown there was Meighan's film, The New Klondike. Thomas Meighan couldn't be there for the opening, but he sent a message to say congratulations!
In 1930, something big happened: sound was added to the theater! This meant movies could now have talking and sound effects. Thomas Meighan himself came to the theater to press the button that started the new sound system.
Sadly, the theater had to close in 1934 because of the Great Depression. This was a very tough time when many people lost their jobs and money. But the theater didn't stay closed forever! It reopened in 1938 as a community theater, where local people could put on plays. It was then called The New Port Richey Theatre. Today, it's known as the Richey Suncoast Theatre.
The theater is also a host for the Black Maria Film and Video Festival, which is a festival that shows many different kinds of films and videos.
How the Theatre Began
Thomas Meighan, the actor, became interested in Florida after talking with his brother. He bought land in Ocala, Florida in 1925. Later, in 1927, he built a home in New Port Richey, Florida, where he would spend his winters.
Meighan had a big dream for New Port Richey. He wanted it to be like a new Hollywood on the East Coast, a place where many famous actors and filmmakers would come to make movies. He even planned to film his movie We're All Gamblers there, but the filming ended up moving to Miami.
Unfortunately, Meighan's dream didn't quite come true. A big land boom (when land prices go up very fast) in Florida ended in the 1920s. Then, the 1929 stock market crash happened, which led to the Great Depression. These events made it hard for his vision of a "Hollywood East" to become a reality.
