Arena Theater

My husband had the joy of discovering this fabulous theater a few years ago (we enjoyed an evening showing of “War of the Worlds” on one of our trips up/down the Pacific Coast Highway to visit family in Fort Bragg). We were completely blown away by the exquisite carpentry and craftsmanship (from shiny tin ceiling to the golden oak flooring, the artistry of the hand-made ceramic tiles, beautiful silouette sconces), and the attention to detail (the upholstered seats with brass plates identifying the names of residents who donated time, labor and/or finances) that was employed when reconstructing this old theater. In fact, we took photos of the exterior (which unfortunately didn’t come close to revealing how truly beautiful it is).
Situated on Highway 1 in “downtown” Point Arena, California’s smallest city, the Arena Theater operates every day of the year. According to it’s website: http://www.arenatheater.org/ “It is a 1928-vintage vaudeville theater and film palace, restored in 1996 to an Art Deco style, state-of-the-art entertainment venue with generous support from local artisans and financial donations. Arena Theater Association is an all-volunteer community, non-profit 501©(3) organization that maintains Arena Theater and brings live performances and artists to the stage.” Unlike many single screen theaters, the Arena Cinema shows first run movies. We are envious that Point Arena residents and travelers through this tiny town have access to such an incredible treasure and wish that we could simply move this theater to our wonderful town of Decatur, GA.

I was in Point Arena a couple of years ago on business and decided to see a movie. They were showing The Bourne Supremacy. Definitely a nice little theater in a small coastal town. I remember that there was an aisle going right down the middle, so no one had a perfectly centered viewpoint. It was a weekday when I went and the theater was pretty full. They get big bonus points from me for selling Dots. There should be a law that all theaters must sell Dots!