Iconic "Forest Theater" reopens in South Dallas

Mark is back open in South Dallas. Community celebrating the return of the iconic Forest Theater this weekend. Shannon Murray there this morning with a look at the festivities and a big surprise performance. Hey. Hey, Lauren and Brandon. Yes, organizers say this reopening of the Forest Theater marks a new chapter here in South Dallas. They had several local performances here yesterday and even a surprise performance by Dallas native Erica Badu. Badu returns to the stage outside of the Forest Theater to celebrate the grand reopening. The event culminated with the relighting of the iconic tower and marquee for the first time in more than 50 years. The theater originally opened in 1949 and featured legendary performers like Prince, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner, and Erykah Badu, who performed right before it closed in 2008. Sunday's event featured musical performances by some DFW artists, along with food trucks and vendors. City leaders say the restored theater is a cultural anchor as they look to revitalize the neighborhood. For generations, Forest Theater represented opportunity, culture, creativity, and connection. A place where people gathered, where memories were made, and where the arts brought us together. And tonight, that story continues. But not in a past tense, but in the present and in the future. This is an $83.5 million investment in the future of South Dallas. We have taken a 30,000 square foot historic theater and transformed it into a 66,000 square foot cultural landmark. Restored and expanded and reimagined for a new generation. Nonprofit Forest Forward is leading the initiative to fundraise and invest in the future of the theater. The expanded campus will include a 1000 person concert hall, a 200 seat black box theater, a 13,000 square foot creative education lab, recording and podcast studios, a rooftop gathering space, artist classrooms and community meeting areas. And it was packed here yesterday. There was actually a wait list to get in. A clear sign of the excitement here in this neighborhood. And Lauren and Brandon, there's actually a Starbucks connected to the Forest Theater that's very nice, brand new. I just popped in to get a coffee, and I overheard people in that coffee shop talking about the grand opening, talking about the event yesterday. So safe to say it is the talk of the neighborhood right now here in South Dallas. Of course there's a Starbucks. I know. Gosh, Shannon got the big live shock. She's just rubbing it in this morning. I love it. Yeah, that's fantastic for that.