The State Theatre, part of State College for 82 years, endangered by coronavirus closure

The State Theatre has been a fixture in downtown State College since 1938, when Warner Bros. opened it as a cinema to test new movies.

After the movie house closed in 2001, the building was refurbished and reopened as a nonprofit community arts center. The 500-seat venue typically hosted singers, dancers, bands, musicals and plays.

But today, months after the pandemic forced it to go dark in March, the historic theater is struggling to survive. It has joined a national coalition of theaters in a #saveourstages campaign, which encourages Congress to pass a bill that would help keep independent venues from closing permanently.

“At this point, we don’t have anything scheduled for the rest of the year, nor in the first quarter of the next year,” said Kenneth Shafranko, secretary of The State Theatre’s board of directors. “We’re not going to book anything until we get clarity on the governor’s executive order.”

The order by Gov. Tom Wolf prohibits indoor events and gatherings of more than 25 people. It took effect July 16.

After counting actors and theater staff, the order “doesn’t leave much room for an audience,” Shafranko said.

The pandemic has already forced layoffs at the theater, and the future remains uncertain, especially because no one knows how long the executive order will be in effect.

“Our revenue streams come from several different places like producing shows and renting shows, and there is not much in terms of rental activity,” said Shafranko, of Boalsburg. “That loss of revenue has had a pretty serious impact on our operations, and we sadly had to reduce staff.”

All other historic theaters around the state are in “the same boat,” Shafranko said.

“Our revenues have been curtailed and our expenses don’t stop,” he said. “It’s an issue for all of us.”

As a part of the League of Historic American Theatres, The State Theatre has been promoting #saveourstages on its Facebook page. The campaign is run by the National Independent Venue Association.

The State Theatre recently experimented with two live-streaming events, but no more have been scheduled.

“People are reluctant to gather, particularly some of our customers if the show was an older audience,” Shafranko said. “Theater and theater-like events will be the last ones to show some kind of audience.”

Shafranko said the best way the Centre County community can help The State Theatre is by becoming a member or a donor.

“We like to see a lot of happy patrons in the seats,” he said. “Everyone (should) keep their eye out to see when we open.”

This story was originally published August 16, 2020 at 2:15 PM.