From boarded windows to silver screens: the inspiring revival of Kennett's Palace Theater

Jill Mobley was tired of seeing the boarded-up windows of the Palace Theater in Kennett, Missouri. After two and a half years of driving by the empty building, she and her then business partner, Glenda Jain, decided to do something about it.

It took Jill and Glenda two years to reopen the theater. Despite having no prior theater experience and not being particularly passionate about movies, they learned everything themselves: from screening films and maintaining a historic building to attracting audiences.

Since Glenda's death in 2022, running the theater has been more challenging for Jill. "I still believe in the importance of supporting the community and am lucky to have the support of my business partner, Dr. Jain and a wonderful team."

"It's important to have a theater in a small town," Jill explained. "A communal movie-going experience is an enriched experience. That's one of the main reasons to watch movies together—the shared psychological and emotional experience connects and bonds us. You simply can't duplicate that cinematic experience at home."