Tampa Theatre Takes the Show On the Road During Historic Restoration As Tampa Theatre prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary in October, the historic landmark is undergoing a major restoration and renovation project designed to preserve the beloved movie palace for its second century.
Through September, the historic Duncan Auditorium is closed while crews restore original paint and plaster, upgrade aging infrastructure, and complete other improvements throughout the nearly 100-year-old theater. At the same time, new classroom space is being created to expand Tampa Theatre's education programs.
While the auditorium is closed, Tampa Theatre is taking some of its most popular programming On The Road with a series of free screenings at partner venues across the region. Upcoming events include Sing-Along Sundays at Sparkman Wharf, Big Picture screenings at the Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, and retro adventure classics at Bonnet Springs Park, featuring nostalgic favorites like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Back to the Future.
But movie fans can still get their Tampa Theatre fix downtown. While the historic auditorium is closed for restoration, the John T. Taylor Screening Room remains open daily for first-run films like the indie horror sensation Backrooms over Fourth of July weekend and the return of CatVideoFest in August. The annual event features a compilation of cat videos from around the world, with a portion of every ticket benefiting adoptable cats and kittens at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. For a complete schedule of On the Road events and show times for the Taylor Screening Room, visit TampaTheatre.org.
