The Historic Lancaster Theatre is reopening this weekend after years of renovation, and its new leadership says they want to become one of North Texas鈥� most unconventional performance spaces.
Starting Saturday, the theater will host a month-long grand reopening, featuring a wide-ranging lineup of events from live theater and comedy to immersive film screenings, music and magic.
鈥淚 want to have everything here that nobody else has,鈥� said owner and producer Ken Arkwell. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 compete with the Kessler and I can鈥檛 compete with bigger theaters that have big musical acts coming through. So, we're doing all kinds of different things.鈥�
Events include a Texas history-inspired comedy production, a sketch comedy showcase, a country tribute performance and appearances by touring artists, including New York magician Nelson Lugo.
The building dates back to the late 1800s, when it served as a grocery and feed store in downtown Lancaster. It became a movie theater in 1951, operating under names like The Grand and The Big 鈥淟.鈥�
For decades, it was a modest gathering place.
"It was always owned by a handyman who did his own work by twisting wires together and putting tape on them,鈥� Arkwell said. 鈥淪o, it was never a grand theater at all. It was a place to get your first kiss.鈥�
That history was nearly erased in 1994, when an F4 tornado tore through Lancaster鈥檚 town square, ripping the roof off the building and leaving it abandoned for years. When Arkwell purchased the property in 2013, he said it required a complete rebuild.
The theater鈥檚 transformation accelerated in 2023, when the city invested in the project as part of a broader effort to revitalize the historic square. That same year, local historian Ellen Clark joined as an owner.
Clark, a fifth-generation Texan, has spent decades documenting Lancaster鈥檚 history 鈥� from preserving thousands of archival photographs to helping secure historic designations and rebuilding parts of the town square after the 1994 tornado.
Now, alongside Arkwell, she鈥檚 helped reimagine the theater as what organizers describe as a 鈥渟tate-of-the-art, diverse entertainment venue.鈥�
The reopening schedule reflects that ambition.
One of the theater鈥檚 defining features will be its immersive film programming. John Wildman, the theater鈥檚 publicist, says the goal is to rethink what a night at the movies can be.
The first of those events will spotlight 1970s Black cinema, pairing films like Cotton Comes to Harlem and Sparkle with live performances, a costume contest and a panel featuring local filmmakers.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an all-encompassing night at the movies that people who love films can't get in their living rooms,鈥� Wildman said.
Organizers say the theater is designed to highlight artists and experiences that are often missing from larger venues.
鈥淔or the people of Lancaster, it will be a place close to home with great entertainment and that will oftentimes have a cool 鈥榶ou-need-to-see-this' aspect about them,鈥� Wildman said.
With a relatively small seating capacity, the venue is built to be flexible and intimate, a place where programming can range from poetry and storytelling to experimental performances.
For Lancaster residents, Wildman says, that means access to something new close to home. Instead of a single opening night, the theater鈥檚 launch will stretch across several weekends to introduce audiences to its range.
鈥淚t takes some time to introduce a space like this and demonstrate what you can do to entertain audiences,鈥� Wildman said. 鈥淚 truly think that if someone comes out to a couple different shows at The Historic Lancaster Theater, it will soon be their go-to place.鈥�
For Arkwell, that sense of discovery is the point.
鈥淚 tell people, 鈥榃hat do you want to see?鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淲hat was the one thing you've always wanted to do in a theater that hasn't been done? And let's see if we can do it.鈥�
