Movies are a part of the thread of our lives. Many remember the first time that they saw a classic film. People like to go to the movies to experience them the way that their creators intended to be seen at the movie theater because of the special quality associated with the dark room, large screen, the wonderful sound, and the smell of popcorn.
It seems that the movie theater or cinema is the place to shut out the world for around two hours and slip into a new world — of light sabers and of talking lions. These wonderful places exist in Miami, but they are a dwindling breed.
Zmny of these movie theaters in Miami have gone into oblivion, but others have been repurposed serving a variety of other uses from presenting clssic cinem to live theater, from night clubs to recital halls. In this series we will look at some of the old movie houses that have found new purposes.
The Trail Theater — also known as Teatro Trail — is located on SW Eighth Street at 37th Avenue just across from the Douglas Entrance where the cities of Miami and Coral Gables meet.
The year that it opened is still a matter of debate. According to some sources, the theater had its grand opening in 1931. Other sources indicate that the movie house did not open until 1948 when the Claughton family funded its opening. It showed Shirley Temple’s Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
It was a popular place for matinees and with the popularity of the “western” in the 1950s, the manager, Harold Watson, was known to come out dressed as a cowboy and pop in at the concession stand.
The theater was sold in 1964 to the Windsor Group as a major demographic shift began in the area in the 1960s with the influx of Cuban immigrants fleeing Castro’s regime, and it started showing Spanish-language films.
In 1989, the Theater was sold again and that’s when it was changed into a playhouse. Marco Gomez, a native of the Dominican Republic, came to Miami and spent $400,000 to renovate the theater and repurpose it. He created a stage and put in the dressing rooms.
Armando Roblan wrote, directed and performed in weekly productions designed to make audiences laugh at Cuba’s dictator. Roblan was an electrifying mimic and he was able to create uncanny caricatures. People loved the shows.
In 2006, the theater closed.
It reopened in 2011, and is now under the direction of Marisol Correa. It specializes in providing comedic and satirical theater.
It was renovated with reduced seating and a new hall called Catarsis. The new area boasts seating for about 100 people comfortably. It is set up for dinner theater with tables and chairs and a bar.
Gone are the first run movies, but the theater has a new aim. The theater’s manager, Juanita Anderson, responded to a question about the goal for the future of the theater by saying that she thinks that the theater wants the “younger generation to know that there is a whole universe within the arts.”
That universe exists to allow people to relax and forget their troubles for a while. That is the true aim of all performers. Bringing a smile “is the least we could do for the people who come here,” said Maria Jose Navarrete, concession manager.
The Teatro Trail has become a family for the staff and they aim to make it rub off on all who enter. With their recent programming which includes, Juana La Iguana, the smiles multiply. More about the theater, including show times can be found at teatrotrail.com.
