Forest Forward, a South Dallas nonprofit organization, has announced its plans to reopen Forest Theater.
On Thursday, November 4, the nonprofit announced that it plans to preserve the historic theater and create a cultural hub in South Dallas. The nonprofit also plans to add arts education elements like a motion room, recording booth, and podcasting space to the theater.
Forest Forward is also planning to add a cafe and a rooftop bar to Forest Theater. This will create a space that is the first of its kind in South Dallas.
Elizabeth Wattley, president and CEO of Forest Forward, is leading the initiative to revitalize the theater.
“This building has always been part of my life,” Wattley said. “I’ve always been driven by it and felt like something is here. Some type of energy.”
As a kid, Wattley would always pass by the theater on her way to school. She has intimate knowledge of the theater’s history, including a memory of how her father saw the movie ‘Imitation of Life’ on the theater balcony in 1959, when it was still segregated.
The nonprofit is hoping to lead a larger plan of neighborhood revitalization in South Dallas alongside the theater.
Forest Theater was opened in 1949 and served a primarily Jewish population living in South Dallas. The theater then began serving Black people a few years later after the demographic of the area changed.
However, the theater began to diminish as the years passed until it became impossible to be brought back to life.
Forest Forward acquired the property in 2017 to revive the theater. According to Wattley, a rejuvenated Forest Theater will bring opportunity and economic growth to South Dallas.
Wattley stated that it is exciting to be part of “something that will serve the community in such an important way.” She added, “It is a real feeling of reclaiming, and it’s something that is open and accessible to everyone.”