What's the password? Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce celebrates centennial with speakeasy

Laurie K. Blandford, Treasure Coast Newspapers
Updated ·3 min read

The Sunrise Theatre is turning 100 years old.

The theater in downtown Fort Pierce is celebrating its centennial with a July 29 speakeasy event set during the Prohibition era, said marketing director Joe Sweat.

When attendees arrive on Second Street, vehicles from the 1920s will be parked in front of the theater. Prohibition agents with clubs will patrol the street. The theater windows will be blacked out so people can’t see inside and events volunteers will whisper to attendees, showing them a secret entrance.

There might even be a password or a secret knock to get in.

“When you walk in that front door — wherever it’s going to be — you’re going to be blasted by jazz music,” Sweat said.

People will be doing the Charleston dance, gambling in the casino with chips and play money, watching silent black-and-white movies on the main stage and drinking bourbon upstairs at the Tarpon Saloon. That was the name of the second speakeasy to ever open in Fort Pierce, after the infamous Buckhorn.

The $125 ticket cost will help the theater raise money to stay open another 100 years, Sweat said. It thrives on memberships, grants and patrons to shows.

“Our goal of the theater is to bring entertainment downtown,” Sweat said. “That helps brings business to the downtown area.”

Fort Pierce was named the “Sunrise City” in 1923 because of its morning view east over the Indian River Lagoon. Rupert “Pop” Koblegard used the same name for the 1,200-seat Mediterranean-style vaudeville house he built when the city's population was just over 2,100 people.

The Sunrise Theatre opened Aug. 1, 1923, but went dark for 23 years. It closed in 1983, then reopened in 2006.

Now, Sweat can see people walking from local restaurants, such as Pickled or Taco Dive, all the way down to the theater for shows. He’s heard from local business owners about the change when there’s a show downtown.

“You know when it’s a Sunrise Theatre night, and you prepare for that,” Sweat said. “There’s a night and day difference.”

Sunrise Theatre Centennial Celebration

  • When: 7-11 p.m. July 29

  • Where: Sunrise Theatre, 117 S. Second St., Fort Pierce

  • Cost: $125 per person, includes free drink, champagne toast, catered hors d’oeuvres

  • Website: sunrisetheatre.com

Fort Pierce Sunrise Theatre
Fort Pierce Sunrise Theatre

The Sunrise Theatre: A timeline

1923: The theater opened Aug. 1 with a double feature: “The Famous Mrs. Fair” and “The Vagabond” with Charlie Chaplin. The silent films were preceded by a parade and performances by the Fort Pierce Band and soprano vocalist and organist J.W. Coolidge, cousin of then-Vice President Calvin Coolidge.

1927: Showed “The Jazz Singer,” the first movie with sound. Before that, the theater was busy with visiting vaudeville performers, including silent-film cowboy star Tom Mix and scandalous burlesque fan dancer Sally Rand.

1930: Fort Pierce artist A.E. “Bean” Backus, who had been decorating the theater's front entrance during the 1920s, was hired full-time as staff artist, ticket-taker and usher until 1938. From his second-floor studio, he created large sets to lure people to movies, including a monster head for “The Bride of Frankenstein.”

1947: Air conditioning was installed. During World War II, it was an entertainment hub for thousands of soldiers and sailors, many of whom trained at the nearby U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) base.

1983: The theater closed on Sept. 8, with the dawn of TV, arrivals of Interstate 95 and Florida’s Turnpike, and downtown Fort Pierce in disrepair.

1997: Main Street Fort Pierce and its St. Lucie Preservation Association paid $50,000 for the lobby and auditorium, and later bought the adjoining space. Over the next few years, they raised $13 million and renovated the theater.

2006: The theater reopened Jan. 14 with a performance by pop music legend Dionne Warwick.

Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter @TCPalmLaurie and Facebook @TCPalmLaurie. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce celebrates centennial with speakeasy