The Ravishing Renovations and Reopenings of the Plaza and Castro
The Ravishing Renovations and Reopenings of the Plaza and Castro
RAGE Monthly
OCTOBER 2025
Community Spotlight by Kevin Perry
A Tale of Two Dreamscapes:
The Ravishing Renovations and Reopenings of the Plaza and Castro
You shimmer from within, you sparkle out loud and you brighten gawd’s great universe. Your queer starlight is blinding, despite the haters trying to tone you down or marginalize your moonglow.
But no one can dim your dazzle.
Your unique brand of illumination has guided you through the turbulence of adolescence, the uncertainty of a world that misunderstands you, and the hatred of our current cultural climate. But now your gay glimmer will find its way to not one but TWO safe havens that will reopen their refurbished doors to the public soon.
THE PLAZA THEATRE IN PALM SPRINGS:
“Part of the magic of The Plaza Theatre is that it’s an atmospheric theater,” said J.R. Roberts, president of the restoration foundation. “In the 1930s, people were looking for an escape from the miseries of life, and movie theaters were the place they could go to sit in the dark, munch popcorn, and the outside world wasn’t there. The Plaza was an experience just walking into it because its architectural style was really like an old Spanish village. … When the lights came up, you had village scenes on either side of the auditorium, and when the lights went down, you’d get almost a sunset effect. And when the moon that faded, the ceiling would light up with twinkling stars, and that would remain through the film.”
Roberts continued: “The magic carpet ride started with Greta Garbo.” She reportedly lurked in the shadows while her movie Camille played out on the silver screen. “That was the world premiere of the film and it launched Hollywood’s connection to The Plaza Theatre. So the stars were already coming to Palm Springs to hide out. It was the place they could come and let their hair down and be themselves. And it was a little too far for the paparazzi to follow them.”
Palm Springs earned its reputation as a pop culture playground, and one theater dominated the game.
“The Plaza was just always full of big names and big, exciting connections to Hollywood and premieres,” Roberts said. “Bing Crosby and Bob Hope did live radio shows. … You also had such great acoustics that you had people like Frank Sinatra actually recording albums here.”
Listen up, because that landmark is getting a makeover. Innovation mingles with preservation to create a space that honors the past as it simultaneously forges the future.
“It was a challenge to restore it,” Roberts said. “You bet. But the great news is that it had never really been destroyed. Even though it was in a pretty advanced state of decay, most of the original lighting was there. The beautiful artwork on the ceiling had never been painted over. We found a gorgeous, hand-painted proscenium behind drywall … so we were able to do a true restoration versus a remodel, and all the original lighting has been restored. So when you walk through the doors, it will be 1936 again. But behind the walls, with respect to comfort and technology, it’ll be 2026. We are installing state-of-the-art sound, incredibly comfortable seats, the air conditioning and heating systems are all new, so to be in the theater will be a great experience, summer or winter.”
The Plaza is timeless and timely, boasting sold-out shows well before their reopening. Legends like Lily Tomlin, John Waters, and Billy Porter are posting eye-popping pre-sales … and that’s just the first week!
“We’re getting an incredible lineup, and we haven’t yet announced the opening night, which is actually December 1,” Roberts said. “One of the things I’m most excited about, I have to say, is the groups that now have a home. Some of our most wonderful local organizations like the Gay Men’s Choruswere bouncing from theater to theater and were having to do three shows at the museum. So I am thrilled that this will be their new permanent home — same for Modern Men.
And I’m extremely excited about the new Palm Springs Symphony.”
That’s music to our queer ears!
“Throughout time, theaters have been a place the LGBTQ community could go. It’s our fantasy world. And The Plaza will continue with that,” Roberts promised.
“Palm Springs is more important than ever for the safety and comfort of the LGBTQ community. And Palm Springs Plaza Theatre will be a direct extension of that. And that’s why I personally got involved. I felt like the one thing that I could do in such a toxic political environment was to help maintain and build on the cultural and arts assets of our community.”
Roberts applauds the parallel preservation of his NorCal neighbors at The Castro in San Francisco.
“These iconic theaters that really helped carry the LGBTQ community through some rough times will be there, these places will remain, and these will stand as pillars to both of their communities: The Castro in San Francisco and The Plaza in Palm Springs.”
Thanks for the stellar segue, J.R.
THE CASTRO THEATRE IN SAN FRANCISCO:
Our traveling show soldiers on. Next stop: the sublime, scintillating city by the Bay.
“I came to San Francisco because it was a welcoming place for me as a gay man,” said David Eugene Perry, writer and founder of San Francisco’s LGBT Rainbow Honor Walk, who recounts his revelatory rendezvous with the Golden City. “The reason that I still love San Francisco and Palm Springs is because these are two cities that are welcoming. And right now there’s a lot of fear in our community.”
Fear is nothing new, but it’s also nothing to ignore.
“During those years of the ’80s and early ’90s, The Castro Theatre became a safe place for a lot of gay men to gather. And it just was really a haven during the darkest years of the AIDS pandemic. After that, it just became even more and more of a place for not only people to grieve, but a place to have celebrations. I really think that it was during the late ’80s and early ’90s that The Castro Theatre became kind of a gay cathedral.”
The Spanish Colonial Baroque building has beckoned boldness for generations.
“The Castro Theatre is 102 years old,” Perry said. “Marc Huestis during the ’90s did some incredible events where he brought in people like Debbie Reynolds, Kim Novak, all these incredible Hollywood stars. They would come in to see their film screen and answer questions from the audience. Armistead Maupin made his very last appearance in San Francisco at The Castro Theatre during the premiere of the latest Tales of the City TV series. Over the years, political figures have come to talk there and share their stories of inspiration. There really is no other venue like it in San Francisco, I would dare say in California.”
But it’s the local luminaries that Perry vows to commemorate.
“There are now 44 bronze plaques on the sidewalks of Castro,” he said. “There’s another 20 that are going to be installed in the next two years. It took 20 years to get the first plaques done, but people were dying of AIDS, and I thought: I want people to always know how important this moment was to the gay community. So preserving this history is something that’s a personal commitment to me. … I know the importance of The Castro Theatre to the LGBTQ community at this moment when so much is under fire. We’re seeing an assault on creativity. And so much of the United States’ cultural community is based in the queer community. So, when the arts are under fire, that means the gay community is under fire. This current political moment, which we will survive because we are a proud and resilient country, and we’re a proud and resilient people because our strength is in our diversity. And no one presidential administration is going to keep us down.”
A genteel warrior, Perry shares a rallying cry with his fearless extended family.
“If you’re worried as a trans person, bi person, a non-gender conforming person, you need to know that we have all fought these battles before and we are not going away and we will win this. We just need to keep on keeping on.”
In the spirit of progressive thinking, The Castro Theatre team has brought the establishment into the queer and now.
“You’re going to have, for the first time in over 100 years, an air conditioning and heating and circulation system,” Perry said. “Also, the organ that has become so important to all the film screenings and the sing-alongs is going to be upgraded to a brand new state-of-the-art theatrical organ. It will be the biggest theatrical organ in the world, and that will be installed in November.”
In addition to raising the roof, The Castro will feature retractable raked floors that expand and collapse on demand. “You’ll be able to do spoken word events, you’ll be able to do standing concerts,” he said. “So it truly is going to become a multi-use facility without losing all of the important traditional performances.”
Perry sees that action of time as a brilliant proscenium that frames our collective turbulence and triumphs.
“The fact that you’ve got The Plaza Theatre in Palm Springs from the ’30s and The Castro Theatre in San Francisco from the ’20s, all being brought back to life at the same time, shows two things. One: History is important. Two: California, North and South, respects its architectural heritage, but it also respects the place that both these theaters have in the lives of the community. I’m proud to say that I’m going to be there for both opening nights. I’m here for the opening night of The Plaza in Palm Springs in December, and I’ll be there for the opening night of The Castro Theatre in February of 2026.”
We can’t wait to join you, David.
The stage is set. The air bristles with anticipation. The show will go on.
