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 ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. It is named for

silent film A silent film is a film without 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 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 was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. 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, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making ...

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 By ...

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

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

. 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) * Hollywood ...

. This plan failed as the property boom in Florida busted in the 1920s and the 1929 stock market crash 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