The State Theatre — Attraction in State College

The State Theatre opened on the 7th of June 1929. The Theatre was the vision of Stuart Doyle, owner of Union Theatres and the esteemed architect Henry White. It was to be seen as “The Empire’s Greatest Theatre” and was designed as a picture palace when such monuments to movies were at their grandest and most spectacular.

During its first week patrons were offered “entertainment of unparalleled magnificence”.

The opening night’s performance featured noted bandleader Will Prior who was described in the programme as a conductor capable of lifting “jazz to perfection in a sublime miscellany of melodious rhythm”.

The first of countless motion pictures to be shown at the State Theatre was “The Patriot” accompanied by Price Dunlavy billed as a “debonair genius” playing the mighty Wurlitzer organ.

Other attractions included Australia’s leading soprano Rene Maxwell & the State Beauty Ballet billed as “a beauty bevy with amazing ability”. After providing an outlet and a venue for entertainment during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the next decade saw the spectre of World War return.

Leading up to and during the war, patrons were able to view the latest news via the theatre’s regular screenings of the Movietone news-reels.

The State played its part by continuing to provide an escape for all those directly and indirectly involved in the conflict. They thrilled to golden celluloid stars such as Cary Grant , Ronald Colman and Joan Crawford.

Post 1945 , the State once again became the place where Sydneysiders came to play.

This decade saw the dawning of Australia’s multicultural society with the first wave of post war immigration. Increasing affluence and economic stability fuelled the rapid expansion of new outer lying suburbs and helped to create the so-called “baby-boom” generation.

As television was far from an everyday reality, people lived for live & film entertainment and the State was the place to be.

A new generation of Hollywood and local stars had arisen during this decade. Film attractions appearing in this decade included James Stewart in “Bend of the River” and Virginia McKenna staring in an adaptation of Neville Shute classic book “A Town Like Alice”. The 1960’s saw Australia in a period of radical change reflected in the growth of pop culture and increasing opposition to the Vietnam conflict, which mirrored social upheaval around the globe.

In times of change, people often look to entertainment as a release and again the State Theatre provided the outlet.

The changing times are reflected in the films on offer which in 1960 included Yul Bryner in “Once More with Feeling” whilst by 1969 the sexual farce “Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happines” was being shown. The growing of permissiveness in 1970’s Australian society and the rejection of more “traditional” values is seen in the anti censorship demonstrations surrounding the film “Medium Cool”.

In 1974, the State Theatre became the home of the prestigious Sydney Film Festival and has continued to play host to this event for two weeks in June, each subsequent year.

The 1980s are often described as an unremarkable decade, best remembered for the Rubik’s Cube and the rise of arcade games. This decade saw the State Theatre return to its more traditional roots with numerous live acts & musical theatre performances gracing its doors.

The State Theatre has long been at the forefront of Sydney’s artistic and cultural life, the theatre is also responding to the changing needs and demands of its...

When the theatre reopened however many years ago, I was more than a little cautious about getting my hopes up, as we'd not had a venue of the sort in our area for many years. It has since then become my favorite spot for ALL kinds of music, dance, cabaret (shout out to Lady Grey's Lovelies!) local fundraising efforts, our local LIVE Rocky Horror Picture Show (hooray for Love and Light Productions), and they even offer free kid's movies once a week all summer long. I have been lucky to attend the shows of some awesome 'Jam Bands', The Cast Of Beatlemania..and, even my ALL TIME favorite band, Third Eye Blind, played there on their 2009 tour. Because it's such a small venue, I had the privilege of meeting the band after the concert and was even invited back on their bus for cocktails 😄 So if an artist you really love, or even just someone you'd like to meet is playing at State Theatre, I highly recommend that after the show you run around to the back, in Calder Alley, and wait patiently to get hugs and autographs!

Oh, and the best part is that there is not one single bad seat in the entire auditorium, both floor and balcony offer fantastic views. Those old guys from the Muppet Show would struggle for a complaint!

I love supporting local business and local art and music; but it's the absolute bestest when those two things merge into one awesomesauce...

I love the small atmosphere of The State Theatre. It makes for incredibly intimate concert experiences! There isn't a bad seat in the house. The staff is awesome. The restrooms are always clean. Security is actually there to help keep people safe rather than just to give people a hard time. The admittance process is usually pretty quick but if it happens to move slowly, its a great opportunity to grab a beer and check out the merch tables. The sound quality of the place is fantastic, especially for a theatre like this. The one area the place could use an upgrade in, is in the lighting department. The stage lights are mostly just color changing motorized spotlights and don't do much to enhance the show. A solid upgrade in the rigging and lighting would set the place above and beyond other venues for sure. Nonetheless, its still one of my favorite places to see a concert. I highly recommend The State Theatre to anyone looking for a memorable and special...