Palm Springs, Ca
The newly restored Palm Springs Plaza Theatre is off to a strong start, hosting 94 events in its first 90 days and bringing visitors, entertainment, and economic activity to downtown Palm Springs.
Leaders with the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation say the historic theater has already exceeded many of its early goals. These include offering affordable access to high-quality entertainment, presenting a wide variety of shows, supporting nonprofit organizations, and helping boost the local economy.
The foundation originally expected about half of the theater’s visitors to be local residents and the other half to come from outside the area. However, early numbers show even more visitors traveling to Palm Springs to attend events.
Foundation President J.R. Roberts said about 66 percent of ticket buyers so far have come from outside the Palm Springs area, while about 33 percent are local residents. This increase in tourism helps support local businesses such as hotels, restaurants, and shops.
The theater is expected to create about $40 million in economic activity each year and bring an estimated $4 million in tax revenue to the city. Some nearby hotels, including Hotel Zoso and the Thompson Hotel, have already reported increased bookings, with several weekends sold out.
Restaurants in downtown Palm Springs are also seeing more customers before shows. With events happening nearly every night, the area has become busier throughout the week.
In February alone, the Plaza Theatre hosted 28 different shows.
City Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein said the theater was expected to help the local economy when it was restored.
“Restoring the Plaza Theatre was not only the right thing to do for historic preservation, it was also expected that the theatre would become a new economic driver for the city,” Bernstein said. “We are pleased to see that the theatre’s economic impact is even greater than projected.”
The Plaza Theatre also supports many local arts organizations. The Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus is the theater’s first official resident artist group. Other groups connected with the theater include Modern Men and the Palm Springs Symphony.
The theater is also working with nonprofit organizations such as the Palm Springs International Film Festival and Modernism Week. In total, about eight to ten performance groups are expected to use the Plaza Theatre as a regular home base.
Since reopening, the theater has featured a wide mix of performances. Opening night included singer and actress Cynthia Erivo. Other shows have featured comedians Lily Tomlin, Fortune Feimster, Brad Williams, and Matteo Lane.
The venue has also hosted concerts by artists such as Don McLean, Mickey Dolenz, Aloe Blacc, Joss Stone, Esperanza Spalding, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.
Other events have included Broadway-style performances, film screenings, family movie events, jazz performances, and community talks such as the Palm Springs Public Library’s Palm Springs Speaks series featuring Cheech Marin.
One special screening even showed Camille, the movie that originally opened the theater on December 12, 1936.
Plaza Theatre General Manager and Oak View Group Senior Vice President John Bolton said the theater has quickly become an important gathering place for the community.
“The Plaza Theatre has become the heart and center of our community in Palm Springs,” Bolton said. “Presenting and hosting 94 events in our first 90 days exceeds all our expectations.”
The foundation is also starting a pilot program that will give free tickets to certain events to local charities, helping more people experience live entertainment.
The restoration of the historic theater was made possible through donations and community support. The foundation says continued memberships, sponsorships, and donations will help keep the theater active with performances, educational programs, and cultural events in the future.
More information about the Palm Springs Plaza Theatre and the foundation can be found at PalmSpringsPlazaTheatre.com.