The Forest Theater Relights Its Marquee in South Dallas After More Than 50 Years

At a Glance

• On Sunday, November 1, Forest Forward hosted The Grand Return on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near S.M. Wright Freeway, drawing an estimated 2,500 people.
• The Forest Theater's tower and marquee were relit for the first time in more than 50 years.
• The restored and expanded theater includes a 1,000-person concert hall, a 200-seat black box theater and a 13,000-square-foot creative education lab.
• Programming runs through December, beginning with guided Art Walk Tours on November 3.

The Forest Theater's tower and marquee lit up the South Dallas skyline on Sunday, November 1, for the first time in more than 50 years. Forest Forward, the organization leading the theater's return, marked the moment with The Grand Return, a block party along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near S.M. Wright Freeway. An estimated 2,500 people came out. Erykah Badu sang.

Opened in 1949 and known as the "Apollo of the South," the Forest Theater once welcomed Prince, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Ike & Tina Turner and Wilson Pickett. Its reopening gives the 75215 ZIP code a 1,000-person concert hall and a calendar of programming that is already underway.

Forest Forward has restored and expanded the building as a home for performance and arts education. Alongside the concert hall, it now includes a 200-seat black box theater, a 13,000-square-foot creative education lab, recording and podcast studios, a rooftop gathering space and community meeting areas.

Guests at The Grand Return could tour the restored theater, then return to the street for food trucks and a Vendor Village of local businesses. Corporate sponsors Wells Fargo and Target supported the evening.

"So many of us have imagined this moment for so long," said Elizabeth Wattley, president and CEO of Forest Forward. "Tonight, together, we make history."

For the Grammy Award-winning singer and South Dallas native, the building is family history. Her grandfather owned the Green Parrot, a restaurant and jazz lounge in the theater's adjoining strip center. In the early 2000s, Badu worked to revive the venue herself as the Black Forest Theater.

On Sunday she delivered a multi-song performance beneath the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard street sign. She spoke about growing up at the Martin Luther King recreation center down the street, where arts programs brought the wider world into a neighborhood gym.

"That's how I learned what I know today. I have South Dallas to thank for it," she said. "This is my home right here. I'll never leave Dallas."

Grammy Award-winning gospel singer Tamela Mann sang "God Provides." South Dallas rapper Big Tuck performed "Not A Stain on Me" and the local anthem "Southside Da Realist," followed by rising hip-hop artist Da'Raja Superstar. DJ Bowtie handled the music. Media personality Lady Jade hosted.

Speakers included Forest Forward Board Chair Matrice Ellis-Kirk, State Senator Royce West, District 7 Dallas City Council member Adam Bazaldua, Dallas City Manager Kimberly Tolbert, and Forest Forward board members Jon and Linda Halbert, founders of the Jon and Linda Halbert Family Foundation.

"A vision this big was never meant to be carried by one person," said Ellis-Kirk, who spoke on behalf of the Forest Forward board.

West grew up nearby. He delivered newspapers along Forest Avenue, attended Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School, lived on Lenway Street and came to the theater to watch films such as Ben-Hur.

"The Forest Theater fell in decay for 20/30 years, but guess what y'all? The Forest Theater is back," he told the crowd. He asked families to bring their children and grandchildren "to make sure they understand the significance of this institution."

Programming began Tuesday, November 3, with guided Art Walk Tours of work by local and national artists. Venue Tours follow on November 10, 17 and 24. Beats Under the Stars rooftop DJ parties are set for November 13 and 27, and the SZN's Change Music Video Film Festival takes place November 21.

December is busier. The Winter in Color activation opens December 1, and a December 3 screening of Unexpected Christmas includes a cast talkback with Lil Rel and others. Rise Weekend, presented by The Creative Mind LA, follows on December 5. Soulful Murder Mystery stages a Christmas-themed dinner theater experience on December 12 and 13, and MLK Arts Academy closes the month with its winter production of Willy Wonka Jr. on December 17 and 18.

"From live music and film to theatrical productions and art experiences, we want people to see this as more than a historic building," said Jiles King, interim executive and artistic director of the Forest Theater.

Upcoming programming and ways to support the theater are listed at forestforward.org, and the full livestream of The Grand Return is on YouTube.