Richey Suncoast Theatre is a historic former movie theatre built in 1925 and later restored for use as a playhouse and community theatre in

New Port Richey New Port Richey is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was counted at 16,728 in the 2020 census. History By ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. It is named for

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

star

Thomas Meighan Thomas Meighan (April 9, 1879 – July 8, 1936) was an American actor of silent films and early talkies. He played several leading-man roles opposite popular actresses of the day, including Mary Pickford and Gloria Swanson. At one point he comm ...

and opened as the Meighan Theatre on July 1, 1926 with a screening of Meighan's movie '' The New Klondike''. Meighan himself was not present but sent a congratulatory telegram. In 1930 sound was added to the theatre. Meighan himself appeared to push the start button for the sound. The theatre closed in 1934 due to the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. It reopened in 1938 as a community theatre under the name ''The New Port Richey Theatre''. : Richey Suncoast Theatre.Silent Era : Theaters : USA : Florida : New Port Richey : Thomas Meighan Theatre
/ref> The theatre hosts the Black Maria Film and Video Festival.Black Maria Film Festival returning to NPR April 7, 2012 Suncoast News/ Pasco

Background

Meighan's interest in

developed after talks with his Realtor brother James E. Meighan. He bought property in

Ocala, Florida Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County within the northern region of Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city's population was 63,591, making it the 54th most populated city in Florida. Home to ...

in 1925. In 1927, he built a home in

New Port Richey, Florida New Port Richey is a city in Pasco County, Florida, United States. It is a suburban city included in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was counted at 16,728 in the 2020 census. History ...

where he spent his winters. He intended to shoot his film ''We're All Gamblers'' there, however, filming was moved to

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

. The Meighans also hoped to draw other celebrities to the area.History of the Meighan/Richey Suncoast Theatre
/ref> Meighan had a vision for New Port Richey to be an eastern U.S. version of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

. This plan failed as the property boom in Florida busted in the 1920s and the

1929 stock market crash The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

set off the period known as the

References

External links

Richey Suncoast Theatre website
{{Coord, 28.24958, -82.71981, type:landmark_region:US-FL, display=title Buildings and structures in Pasco County, Florida Theatres in Florida Tourist attractions in the Tampa Bay area Tourist attractions in Pasco County, Florida Theatres completed in 1925 New Port Richey, Florida