THE DREAM & THE LEGACY
The projectors and chairs were sourced from the Paris Theater in Santa Fe, after surviving an unfortunate fire. They found a new home within the 16-inch-thick mica dusted walls of the theatre in which visitors can still enjoy to this day!
In 1940, Amado Roybal, a dandy with a dream, embarked on the epic journey of constructing the Peñasco Theater. Built on the ancestral and unceded land of the Picuris people officially opened its doors in 1947. Roybal, an experienced and skilled theater worker for Santa Fe movie theaters, imagined that a theater in Peñasco would be a great addition for the community, providing a centrally located gathering place with entertainment, and events for families and children.
Utilizing adobe bricks sourced from the dirt beneath his feet, Amado and numerous members of the community built the structure from the ground up.
The Roybal family - Amado, his wife Stella and their children Josephine, Patricia, Monica, and Amado Jr., lived, played and created within the hand-built interior and operated both the theater and the accompanying cafe from the day it opened until 1974. This dynamic family cultivated the Peñasco Theater into a vibrant venue, gathering locals every Friday night, often walking from surrounding valleys and hillsides, to enjoy cinematic entertainment. The Theater became a focal point for live events, musical performances, dances and film screenings for youth and families. It was a hot location for first dates, matinees with los abuelos, and educational movies for local students. According to Amado's grandson, also named Amado, his grandfather even hosted lucha libre wrestling in the theater for a year!
In 1971, the theater morphed into a small duffle bag factory during the Vietnam War, temporarily halting its mission as an entertainment venue. After the war, the Theater reopened, intermittently showcasing current movies. We are regularly captivated by stories from enthusiastic elders in the community who ran the projector when they were young.
From 1979-1992, Peñasquero Ermo Romero maintained both the Theatre and the restaurant serving New Mexican fare. The Davis family took over in 1992 until Y2K, running both the theater and the cafe, known then as Bear Paw Pizza.
In 2000, Alessandra Ogren realized her life-long dream of running away with the circus, initiating a new chapter for the Peñasco Theater. Under the banners of Wise Fool New Mexico and later The Peñasco Theater Collective, The Theatre evolved once again into its current incarnation - a unique multidisciplinary arts space for youth, artist residency, and performance venue, led by a passionate, eclectic group of artists blending various artistic disciplines.
The Peñasco Theater Collective introduced ongoing diverse arts and performance programming for a local audience, enshrining the theater as a relevant and culturally significant entity in the Peñasco community.
Destination eatery orchestrated by the Sugar Nymphs Ki Holste and Kai Harper beginning in 2002.
