Arena Theater is a 1928-vintage vaudeville theater and film palace, restored in 1996 to an Art Deco style, state-of-the-art entertainment venue. Serving a rural audience, the Arena Theater is the only movie theater within a 50-mile radius. The theater screens first-run films up to five days per week; hosts a weekly film club; presents Metropolitan Opera, Bolshoi Ballet, National Theater of London Live, and Exhibition on Screen telecasts; and produces and presents diverse live entertainment monthly. Arena Theater Association, a community nonprofit, maintains the theater as a community resource for Point Arena and the surrounding area.

Part of Nomadland was filmed nearby. Early in the pandemic lockdown, the theater showed the movie as a drive-in at the Point Arena pier. The event began with a Q&A interview with Frances McDormand where she graciously said, “I want to tell you how important it was to be held by your community …. in one of the best locations we have ever been. Send me a picture of the Nomadland on the Point Arena Theater Marquee … a theater really dedicated to the idea of cinema.”

Follow: @pointarenatheater