Boulder Theatre to open its doors to events

Whether as a location for builders of Hoover Dam to escape the heat, a place to see movies with families, friends or a date, or a venue to enjoy ballet performances, the Boulder Theatre has been a favorite local historical landmark for nearly a century.

In recent years, however, the theater saw very little use but that’s expected to soon change.

It was recently announced that theater owner Desi Arnaz Jr. has agreed to open its doors to be rented for a variety of events.

Overseeing this new venture is Anna McKay, manager of theater events. McKay, who will be assisted by her husband Danny, is no stranger to the theater. Twenty years ago, she purchased Dance Etc., which had been owned by Amy Arnaz, who formed the studio in 1979. Arnaz later met and married Desi Arnaz. They bought the theater in the late 1990s, shortly after the last movies were shown on its screen.

After remodeling of the theater was complete, which included new seating, the removal of the screen and concession areas, as well as other upgrades, Dance Etc. would use it for its musical productions throughout the years. Other organizations would rent the theater, including the Dam Short Film Festival and Chautauqua.

Amy Arnaz, who was affectionately known in town as Miss Amy, died in 2015 of cancer. Since her death, the theater has been used on a limited basis, aside from two Dance Etc. productions each year under McKay’s direction.

“He (Arnaz) said that if I want to manage and run an event, I can. He’s given me permission to take people’s ideas, after which I contact him with the information and we figure out if it’s the right fit,” she said, noting that in the end, Arnaz has the final say.

McKay said the theater could be rented for a variety of uses. The first thing she thought of were weddings followed by any type of stage entertainment like stand-up comedians, musical acts or for dance studios in the Henderson or Las Vegas area who do not have their own performance venues.

Those who do rent the venue have the choice of handling their own ticket sales or the service can be provided for an additional cost.

At one time the theater, which was built in 1932 and was the city’s first air-conditioned building, offered 550 seats but following renovations, that number is now around 390.

Last year, the theater played host to the Silver State Stitch Shop trunk show. It was after that when McKay said Arnaz, the son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Sr., first started talking about increasing the theater’s use.

“I’m very excited for people to use it,” she said. “I know what the theater once was and how people remember it but it’s not that anymore. It’s now a historically-restored building. I’ve heard from people who complain the doors are always locked, so I’m excited for the community to be able to use it. If they reach out, and we feel it’s a fit, I’d love to help make that happen.”

Danny McKay added, “The sky’s the limit. There’s definitely not a shortage of interest in the theater. There’s no telling what could come.”

Once it was announced that the theater could be rented, the first to sign on the dotted line was the Dam Short Film Festival, which will be renting it in February. The festival has used it in the past but not since the COVID pandemic.

“The Historic Boulder Theatre was home to the Dam Short Film Festival from 2008 to 2020, and we are very happy to be back in 2027,” said Ken Cioe, the festival’s director of operations. “One of our main goals has always been to keep the festival in Boulder City, and we are proud to have succeeded at that for the past 22 years. Now the plan is to continue this amazing annual Boulder City tradition back in the Historic Boulder Theatre.”

McKay said she was very much in favor of the festival returning to the theater and encouraged Arnaz to green-light the plan, promising that she’ll be on hand to oversee and manage the event when it’s within the theater’s four walls.

“The bottom line is, Desi and Amy restored this building and it has a lot of Amy’s touch in it and with her passing, Desi doesn’t want to see it gutted and made into something else,” she said. “He knows that I share that with him and I think that’s why he’s given the go-ahead to bring things here that would be a good fit for the building. It’s still a new venture so I pray things will go well but I honestly feel they will.”

Those interested can email McKay at danceetcnv@yahoo.com.