Cameo Theatre, Art Deco movie theater on Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, United States

The Cameo Theatre is a 1936 Art Deco building at 1445 Washington Avenue in Miami Beach, painted hot pink and lime green. It opened as a movie theater with a single auditorium, later became a punk and hardcore venue, and now operates as Cameo Nightclub.

The Cameo was built in 1936 as a movie theater at 1445 Washington Avenue. In 1985 Richard Shelter struck a deal with owner Zori Hayon to book punk and hardcore shows; the first, in July 1985, featured Canadian band D.O.A. Zori Hayon closed it in late 1989 and reopened it in March 1990 with a Sugarcubes concert; it later became a disco and, in 1999, was rebranded Cameo Nightclub.

The Cameo's name comes from its origins as a 1936 movie house, and its pink and lime-green Art Deco front is the detail to look for from the street. From 1985 the Drills opened for touring hardcore bands here, part of an all-ages scene that drew South Florida teenagers. After 1990 it shifted to electronic shows and then a disco, and since 1999 it has run as Cameo Nightclub.

The theater is on Washington Avenue in South Beach and is easy to reach on foot from most hotels in the area. It is worth checking in advance what kind of event is scheduled, since the program changes regularly and the space is not always open to walk-in visitors.

In the 1980s, the venue became one of the few places in Miami Beach where punk and hardcore bands like Black Flag and the Ramones played, which was unusual for a neighborhood known for its pastel-colored hotels. This chapter of its past is rarely mentioned but makes it a rare witness to the city's underground music history.