Sands Theater Alamogordo Coming Back to Life with Planned Rennovations

The partnership of 2nd Life Media Roadrunner Emporium Inc and Lydia Emmanual Productions LLC has completed the acquisition of the Historic Sands Theater, Alamogordo, New Mexico. The partnership is soon to begin renovations but, in the meantime, is having fun exploring options for decor and changes to come into a premier cafe, film museum and theater that will showcase classic and independent movies and live entertainment and musical acts.

The White Sands Theater opened in the 1920’s as an open-air theater. It was used mainly as an overflow for the Alamento Theatre on nearby 10th street. During hot summer evenings, it was widely used, as the Alamento was far too hot to enjoy a movie. 

In the 1930’s a roof was added and became known as the White Sands Theater. It boosted itself of having a water-cooled loft that kept the entire theater air-conditioned. The original capacity was 210 seats.  The White Sands Theatre on Alamogordo’s New York Avenue opened in 1937 seating 456. The movie house continued with films until the late-1960’s. It then became a broadcast center which lasted until the mid-1990’s.

In the late-1990’s the building got a facelift, and the interior and exterior were restored to a modified Art Deco styling. It then operated as a live performance venue and movie theater. In 2012, it became a religious broadcast studio. It reopened on December 23, 2013, screening family movies and continued to operate as a studio but was closed to the public due to disrepair and lack of maintenance.

In June of 2022, a partnership arrangement formed to acquire the theater and rehabilitate it back to its grandeur. The partnership is between New York Art and Music Studio and 2nd Life Media/Roadrunner Emporium Inc. These two organizations are pulling talent and resources to make the venue a showcase for a variety of theatrical uses from independent films to live performances.