A Historical Gem Comes Full Circle

On any cool, spring night in Tulsa, young and old people alike make their way down to a beautiful, historic theater on the corner of Lewis and Admiral. The luminescent red and green neon lights of the marquee reflect off the pavement and shine back up towards the guests as they walk past a display of posters all in different languages. From outside, they can hear polite chatter fill up the lobby as jazz music plays softly in the background. Inside, the air is warm and carries the buttery scent of theater popcorn; and behind the counter waits a friendly staff ready to welcome them to a night at Circle Cinema. 

Best known as the theater in the film adaptation of The Outsiders, Circle Cinema is Tulsa’s oldest and only nonprofit movie theater. Originally opened in 1928 as one of many locally-owned movie theaters in town, Circle Cinema is the only of those original theaters to have survived into the 21st Century. First built during the dawn of the talkie, the theater has lived through the most formative years of the film industry. Throughout its long history serving Tulsa, the Circle has always adapted to stay afloat: as an adult film theater in the ‘70s and later a Spanish-language film theater in the ‘80s to serve the population of East Tulsa. Eventually, the theater closed its doors in the ‘90s due to a lack of patronage, as much of Tulsa’s population had migrated South. 

Sitting empty for the better part of a decade, no one knew what to do with the now rundown building. Many of Tulsa’s beautiful historic buildings in the downtown area were unceremoniously destroyed and turned into vacant parking lots. Scared that demolition may soon claim the historical theater, a group of Tulsans created the Circle Cinema Foundation with the goal of reopening the cinema and using it to create a more conscious community through the showing of independent films. In 2004, after years of renovations and a successful campaign to place the building on the National Register of Historic Places, the theater was reopened and a new era in the building’s history was born. 

The Circle’s mission to foster understanding and appreciation of the diversity of the human experience is achieved by hosting events every month that include music, art, and film from people of all backgrounds. Film festivals celebrate the creations of Jewish, Native American and LGBTQ filmmakers, while the gallery displays works of art that showcase daily life in Oklahoma. Some of the theater’s most popular events are showings of films created by, filmed in or starring Oklahomans. 

As a nonprofit theater not supported by a large national corporation, the Circle depends on donations and ticket sales to continue being an active part of Tulsa’s art scene and newly booming film industry. Over the past two years, the Circle has managed to keep its doors open to continue educating the public, but the movie theater industry has certainly not been immune to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As theaters around the country have shut their doors, limiting access to independent films, the Circle has only grown in popularity.  One of the most crucial elements to the theater’s success through the pandemic has been the involved citizens of Tulsa who have donated to the Circle Cinema Foundation through the purchase of memberships. Memberships offer perks like free tickets or snacks, but also provide the opportunity for diverse voices to continue being heard as the Circle Cinema continues to fulfill its mission. 

As the city around it continues to experience change and unprecedented growth, The Circle Cinema - nearing a century in its service to Tulsans - stands as a symbol of the city’s long history and as a contemporary role model for progress and inclusivity.