Nijuel X, the new artistic director of the historic Forest Theater, spends most days checking in on the ongoing renovation of the 75-year-old building.

X, who was born in Houston and raised in Port Arthur, recently moved to North Texas from Los Angeles, where he spent 15 years working in performance theaters.

“It’s more about the impact that I can have on people, and I’m just grateful Dallas is the place I get to do that,” X said.

The Forest Theater, located just south of downtown along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Interstate 45, has long served as a center for Black artistic expression. Over the years, the venue has taken on many forms—from a movie theater to a nightclub to a house of worship.

“Many leaders, many artists have graced this stage, these spaces,” X said. “And so,

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