CineVita turns 1980s movie hits into an immersive live show at Spiegeltent Los Angeles venue
After years of performing in locations around the Los Angeles area and beyond, the “For The Record” nostalgic concert series finally has its own home in CineVita, the world’s largest Spiegeltent. Don’t know what a spiegeltent is? Let me illuminate you.
In 2010, a concert series was born, highlighting the music of movie soundtracks in a unique fashion. This character-driven concert series features beloved cinematic stories and the songs linked to those films showcased in surprising and entertaining ways.
A new home for “For the Record”
“For The Record” has created shows featuring the music and stories of film directors Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, John Hughes, Baz Luhrmann, and more. Each has a distinct mood, but the D.N.A. of “For The Record” shines through each one with their signature style and top-notch onstage talent.
During the 2020 pandemic, the team behind “For The Record” was looking for its next home while the world of live entertainment had shut down. After years of bouncing around to different locations around the country (but primarily in Southern California), they wanted to find an option that was theirs and theirs alone.
That’s when the research began. They looked into brick-and-mortar locations, but also mobile options like circus tents and dome tents. In their research, they came across the Spiegeltent.
What is a Spiegeltent?
Spiegeltent is a Dutch word that literally translates to “mirror tent”. When this option was discovered, it became the new goal for “For The Record” to get one and make it their home.
That task wouldn’t be an easy one. After contacting the only family in Belgium that still makes Spiegeltents, they were told “For The Record” wouldn’t be able to purchase a used one as they were all still in use. However, the Belgian Klessens Family was willing to build a brand-new Spiegeltent for “For The Record” if they would make it the largest Spiegeltent to exist, and what the family could consider their crown jewel of Spiegeltents.
This was quite the honor, as a new Spiegeltent is built approximately once every decade.
Building CineVita
It took three years from design to the construction and creation of the final product. Although the Spiegeltent is a tent, it doesn’t have any sort of fabric or vinyl siding. The walls are made of wood and hard materials that piece together like a puzzle for easy deconstruction and reconstruction.
I can say from personal experience, once you’re seated inside the grand venue, it’s hard to remember you’re in a tent at all.
Inside the mirrored venue
The fifth generation of the Klessens family poured their hearts and souls into the creation of the new Spiegeltent, now one of only forty-two in the world. The father cut three thousand pieces of glass for the mirrored tent. The son carved small pieces of wood details. A cousin created the baluster metalwork. And two thousand meters of fabric were sewn together to create a majestic and warm feeling inside the tent.
Of course, with a new venue, “For The Record” needed a name for their new home. They call it CineVita. “Cine”, which in Greek means “movement” and is related to the word “cinema”. And “Vita” for the Italian word meaning “life”. Therefore, CineVita means “moving life”. The perfect name for a mobile venue exploding with life during each performance.
When CineVita held its ribbon-cutting in October of 2025, the Princess of Belgium was in attendance for the grand reveal. CineVita is proud to be a part of keeping this Dutch tradition alive. So much so that the beer they sell on tap is from Westmalle Trappist, a brewery in Belgium.
Photo by Zak Cassar
A movable production
The cast and crew of “For The Record” were used to bouncing around to various locations for their productions. They constantly needed to adapt to a new space. With the creation of CineVita, “For The Record” can now bring their Spiegeltent wherever they’d like, but the production footprint and abilities will always be the same inside the tent. This allows for better production value and consistency in quality.
The Spiegeltent breaks down into twelve containers. It takes two weeks to deconstruct the tent and another three weeks to rebuild it. They’ll remain in their current location near SoFi Stadium for a while. But by the end of this year, they plan on packing up and moving the Spiegeltent to a new Southern California location.
The current show: Teen Beat Live
CineVita is currently presenting a show entitled “Teen Beat Live 80’s Movie Mixtape”. This high-energy production features music from classic films like “Dirty Dancing”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, and “Ghostbusters”, along with mentions and references to classics including “Back to the Future”.
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Photo by Zak Cassar
But this isn’t just one song after another being performed. The show features a clever throughline showcasing different sections of the iconic Teen Beat magazine and relating them to song and movie moments from the 1980s. The superb cast shares what seem to be real-life personal stories of their experiences growing up and what it meant to be a teenager in the 1980s.
There’s a nice balance of looking back with nostalgia while reminiscing about the simpler times. But also recognizing the progress that has been made since then. There are heartwarming moments throughout when you least expect it. Whether or not you were a child of the 80s, the messages will hit home for nearly everyone, and you’re sure to recognize some of the most iconic movies from the 1980s that have lived on far beyond that decade.
Photo by Zak Cassar
What’s next for CineVita
I spoke with Shane Scheel, the Executive Producer and Co-Founder of “For The Record” and CineVita. When asked what his favorite detail is about his new home, he couldn’t pinpoint just one thing, but he had this to say: “I walk in here and it’s a dream every night. I get to see my friends of fifteen years, some of them twenty-five years, show up and have a home. And it feels like home to me. I dreamt of this moment.”
Learn more about “For The Record” and CineVita at TheCineVita.com. “Teen Beat Live 80’s Movie Mixtape” is currently selling tickets through May 31, 2026. But keep your eyes on their website for production extensions and new announcements including future locations for CineVita.
Jeff DePaoli is a live event producer and podcaster living in Los Angeles. He can be heard as the voice of Disney Trivia on Alexa as well as the host of shows on his DePodcast Network where he and his special guests share honest opinions about the entertainment industry, with rose-colored glasses removed.
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