The “Coming Soon” on the marquee at 208 Dauphin St. is not a tease: A new chapter is coming for the former Crescent Theater.

As previously reported, the Crescent closed in late March, ending a 14-year run. Though it had its financial ups and downs in that span, the single-screen independent theater became a cultural institution and was seen by some as a key component in the growth of the downtown dining and entertainment scene.

In recent days the marquee has carried the name “Push Cinema.” But a related website, www.pushcinema.com, and related Facebook and Instagram pages, haven’t been fleshed out with information yet, except to say that Push Cinema is a “locally owned, intimate movie theater in the heart of Downtown Mobile.”

Thursday morning, the man behind Push, Ziare Perryman, was in the lobby meeting with building owner John Switzer. Both were enthusiastic about the theater’s potential. For Perryman, it’s a bold new stage of his lifelong passion for film.

Perryman, a Mobile native, said he started pursuing a life in film at 15. Since then he’s developed a multifaceted skill set, working as a writer, producer, director, videographer and actor, sinking his teeth into any project he could. He’s shot wedding videos, music videos, commercials, and his own short films – some of which can be seen on Amazon Prime.

He’s done “any kind of video you can name,” he said. And at 31, he can say he has made a living doing it. “I’ve never had a nine-to-five,” he said.

His credits as an actor include a role as an FBI agent working with John Travolta in “Cash Out 2,” an upcoming action flick filmed partly in Biloxi by director Randall Emmett.

“I’ve known Ziare for years,” said Switzer. Perryman had rented the Crescent for premieres and even used him in one of his film projects, he said. Perryman had expressed interest in the theater back in the spring, as the Crescent’s shutdown approached. He and Switzer recently struck a rental agreement.

Perryman said there’s a good bit of work ahead, in terms of rebranding and redecoration, not to mention establishing relationships with film distributors. He’s not going to rush Push Cinema’s grand opening, he said, but he’s hopeful that he’ll be ready to throw the doors open around Oct. 1.

From there, he said, he wants to open up what the theater does.

“A lot of people keep asking me, is it going to be a movie theater,” Perryman said. “Yes, it’s a movie theater. I’m going to try to get the first-run movies. Of course I’m going to play movies like ‘Rocky Horror,’ the movies that I know people want to see in downtown Mobile … but I’m also going to do like comedy shows, small events, let people book the theater out.”

“I’m going to do old-school nights, where I play old-school movies,” he said. “I’m going to do open mic, karaoke and comedy. Those are situations where people sit and watch.”

“It’s 2023,” he said. “It’s not the same as it was 20 years ago.”

Beyond all that, he said, Perryman wants to create a film and acting community around the theater. He has left Mobile to shoot projects in major cities, he said, but he remains based in Mobile by choice.

“I’m a local filmmaker but I’m not local,” he said. That’s a mindset he wants to share and foster, he said. He can see 208 Dauphin becoming a place where acting classes and workshops happen.

“One think I like that’s important is that you keep your talent at home,” said Switzer.

“I’m an opportunity guy. I like to create my own opportunity,” Perryman said. “It’s building that lane in Mobile.”

The Push Cinema lane isn’t open for traffic yet, but as the sign says, it’s coming soon. Interested onlookers can sign up for updates at www.pushcinema.com.

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