Lake Country Playhouse

Lake Country Playhouse is a historic movie theater and live-performance venue in Mineola, Texas, in the United States. It is best known for operating the Historic Select Theater, a downtown cinema that has served the Mineola community for more than a century. The theater was founded in 1920 by Mr. and Mrs. R.T. Hooks Sr., who wanted to give Mineola a movie picture theater that offered an experience unlike any other. Mrs. Hooks chose the name "Select" after the Select movie picture franchise, and that name has remained the venue's trademark for over 100 years. The theater has passed through several eras of family and local ownership. After the Hooks family moved to west Texas, their son R.T. Hooks Jr. took over operation of the Select, and at that time the family also managed the Leroy Theater and the SkyVue Drive-in Theater in Mineola. In 1948, Hooks Jr. undertook a major renovation of the Select, removing the confectionery shop and ice cream parlor, redesigning the front facade, and adding the marquee, a neon tower visible for miles, a front lobby, a concessions stand, a balcony, a cry room, and chilled air — a modern invention of the day. After Hooks Jr. passed away in the 1960s, two longtime employees, James Dear and Truman Thomas, purchased the Select and continued to operate it. Today Lake Country Playhouse presents a mix of first-run and repertory films, special screenings, and live stage productions. Its website promotes the venue with the slogan "if the tower's a-glowin, something's a-showin," a reference to the historic neon tower. The programming includes family films, thrillers, and community theater, such as the "Friday Night Frights" series and stage plays like "Steel Magnolias." The theater is a local landmark in Mineola and a rare surviving example of a small-town Texas movie palace that has remained in continuous cultural use. As a business, Lake Country Playhouse is a private, locally operated venue rather than a national chain. It functions as both a cinema and a community playhouse, and its identity is closely tied to the preservation of the Historic Select Theater building and its neon signage. The venue sells tickets both at the box office and online, with online purchases subject to additional non-refundable service charges collected by the ticket sales provider.

Lake Country Playhouse traces its origins to 1920, when Mr. and Mrs. R.T. Hooks Sr. set out to provide Mineola, Texas, with a movie picture theater that would offer an experience like no other. Mrs. Hooks selected the name "Select" after the Select movie picture franchise, and the name became the venue's trademark for over a century. The theater opened as the Select Theater and quickly became a downtown gathering place. As time passed, the Hooks family moved to west Texas, and their son, Mr. R.T. Hooks Jr., took over operation of the Select. During this period the family managed three venues in Mineola: the Select Theater, the Leroy Theater, and the SkyVue Drive-in Theater. By 1948, the Select was showing its age, and Hooks Jr. undertook a massive renovation. The project removed the confectionery shop and ice cream parlor, changed the front facade, and added the marquee, a neon tower that could be seen for miles and served as a beacon that something was showing, a front lobby, a concessions stand, a balcony, a cry room, and chilled air — a modern invention of the day that was especially welcome in the Texas summer. In the 1960s, after Mr. Hooks Jr. passed away, two longtime employees of the Select purchased the theater and continued to operate it. James Dear and Truman Thomas had done nearly every job at the theater, starting as young boys handing out programs, cleaning up, and mixing soda drinks. Their stewardship carried the Select through the later 20th century. In the 21st century the venue operates as Lake Country Playhouse and The Historic Select Theater, presenting both movies and live stage productions. Its website retains the historic slogan "if the tower's a-glowin, something's a-showin," and programming includes first-run films, family movies, horror-themed events such as Friday Night Frights, and community theater productions like Steel Magnolias. The theater remains a landmark in Mineola and a rare continuously operating small-town cinema and playhouse.

• 1960

  After R.T. Hooks Jr. passes away, longtime employees James Dear and Truman Thomas purchase and continue operating the Select.

• 1948

  R.T. Hooks Jr. undertakes a major renovation of the Select, adding the marquee, neon tower, lobby, concessions stand, balcony, cry room, and chilled air.

• 1920

  Mr. and Mrs. R.T. Hooks Sr. open the Select Theater in Mineola, Texas, naming it after the Select movie picture franchise.

A historic small-town Texas movie palace and community playhouse offering films and live theater in a preserved 1920s venue.

• Movie screenings

  First-run and repertory films shown in the historic single-screen theater.

• Live stage productions

  Community theater plays such as Steel Magnolias.

• Friday Night Frights

  A recurring horror-themed screening event.

1. 1Lake Country Playhouse and The Historic Select Theater - Homelakecountryplayhouse.com
2. 2Our Historylakecountryplayhouse.com
3. 3Lake Country Playhouse - Wikidatawikidata.org