State Theatre (State College, Pennsylvania)
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The State Theatre is a 554-seat non-profit community theatre in
State College, Pennsylvania State College is a home rule municipality in Centre County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a college town, dominated economically, culturally and demographically by the presence of the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania Sta ...
.The State Theatre
/ref> It currently operates as one of the cultural hubs of music, cinema, and live performances for downtown State College and the
Centre County Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The lands ...
region.


History


Movie theatre

The State was originally built as a movie theatre for
Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film production and distribution company of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group division of Warner Bros. Entertainment (both ultimately owned by Warner Bros. Discovery). The studio is the flagship producer of liv ...
in 1938 at a cost of $70,000 (approximately $ in today's dollars). It was described as a "beautiful and tasteful modern theatre presenting the finest pictures with the most advanced sound, projection and comfort." The first movie shown at the theatre was '' The Sisters'' starring
Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...
and
Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...
. The State Theatre, also referred to for a period as The State Twin, continued to operate as a movie theatre until March 2001.


Community theatre

Shortly after its closure as a
cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...
, plans were in place to convert the property into a non-profit community theatre. Costs to cover the ambitious renovation, conversion and expansion goals would be raised through local fundraising efforts as well as corporate and government grants. Once the necessary capital was received, the theatre building was extensively refurbished and reopened in December 2006 as a state-of-the-art venue for theatre, dance, music, film, concerts, and other regional and international performances. Some of the sold-out opening night guests of the "new" theatre included
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
Governor
Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philade ...
, Pennsylvania State Senator
Jake Corman Jacob Doyle Corman III (born September 9, 1964) is an American politician and former President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Senate 1999 to 2022, holding the same seat his father, Doyle Corman, prev ...
, and State College Mayor
Bill Welch William Lee Welch Jr. (November 23, 1941 – September 4, 2009) was a U.S. politician and former mayor of State College, Pennsylvania, most recently reelected in 2005. He had been the mayor since he was first elected in 1993, taking office ...
.


References

{{State College, Pennsylvania State College, Pennsylvania Theatres in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Centre County, Pennsylvania Tourist attractions in Centre County, Pennsylvania