The State Theatre is a venue for the

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

and entertainment, located in downtown

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...

, with seating for 1100 people.

Architecture

The original State Theatre, built in 1925, is a large two-story brick Art Deco building designed by Joseph E. Nason. An addition was added in 1936. It is on the state and national register of historic buildings.

History

The venue opened on January 19, 1926, as a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

theater, then several years later converted to a movie house that closed in 1982. In 1984 the Theatre was donated to a group of arts-minded community members called the Eau Claire Regional Arts Council (ECRAC) to create a center for artistic expression. After a significant renovation it reopened the doors in 1986. During the ECRAC period it was used by a number of local performing arts organizations including:

Chippewa Valley Symphony The Chippewa Valley Symphony is an American orchestra based in Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in ...

, Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild, Chippewa Valley Youth Choirs, Eau Claire Children's Theatre, Valley Gospel Choir, and UW - Eau Claire. It closed in July 2018.
State Theatre and Community Center set to reopen
', weau.com, October 7, 2019 (accessed October 9, 2019) The venue was purchased by Azara Properties LLC and leased to Luginbill children's foundation. The venue reopened in October 2019 as the State Theatre and Community Center, with

Joe Luginbill Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

serving as CEO. On January 25, 2020, it was announced that utilities to the State Theatre and Community Center had been cut off, due to a $21,000 utility debt.

References

External links

WPT Presents: History of Eau Claire's State Theatre
(video) * The State Theatre and Community Cente
official Facebook page
{{Coord, 44.81253, -91.50015, type:landmark_region:US-WI, display=title Buildings and structures in Eau Claire, Wisconsin Theatres in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin