Royal Theatre provides home for Boys & Girls Club
The Royal Theatre is an organization that focuses on the root of the community—the children. Photo by Greg Kennedy
St. Petersburg—Once a movie theater for African-Americans during the era of segregation, the newly renovated Royal Theatre is the site of the Boys & Girls Club.
First opening in 1948, the Royal Theatre, at 1011 22nd St. S, was one of only two movie theaters serving African-Americans. It was shut down less than 20 years later after the end of segregation.
Now a Boys & Girls Club, the facility has undergone a complete renovation and after $1.2 million, the Royal Theatre is now equipped with modern technology.
According to their website, the Royal Theatre’s mission is “to provide a community theatre facility and to encourage diverse artistic, cultural and educational activities that will enrich the lives of children, adults and the community.”
The newly renovated Royal Theatre served as a movie theater for African-Americans during the days of segregation. Photo by Sybil Crocetti
The Afterschool Arts Academy program is available for children and teenagers ages 5-18.
The program includes daily tutoring, and homework help classes. It also includes a complimentary 10 week Summer Arts Camp with over 450 members participating annually.
The camp includes weekly lessons in ballet, creative dance, jazz, tap, hip-hop, recording arts production, graphic arts, poetry/literary arts and drama.
The Summer Arts Camp has grown over the years and George “Naps” Carty, the artistic director of The Royal Theatre, thinks that this summer will mark milestones for the center. Recently equipped with two donated vans, the Royal Theatre will be able to reach out into the community and allow the students to perform at different venues. This year, the camp will have themed recitals every two weeks.
“The center likes to empower the children, so we allow the students to choose the theme for each recital and how they will express the theme through their art,” Carty said.
At the end of the summer, a performance is put on that integrates all the programs. There is also an awards ceremony. These awards are another way the center is trying to reinforce empowerment in children.
The Royal Theatre is an organization that focuses on the root of the community—the children.
Boys and Girls clubs are the best and I would love to see a club here in my county because the kids have zero entertainment and no other ways outside of school to express themselves, learn new life skills etc. and Oh My God, the summer months are the hardest. There is nothing wrong with going to church every Sunday but for kids they need other ways for enrichment. A Boys and Girls Club is exactly what Washington County FL. needs to help these kids from sitting around, getting into trouble or becoming over weight with early health issues. How do I get a Boys and Girls Club in my County?