STATE THEATRE HISTORY

The historic State Theatre is a magnificently renovated 1921 vaudeville and silent film palace that is today a premier center for the performing arts. The State Theatre offers something for everyone including: international orchestras, soulful jazz, Broadway musicals, world-class dance, stand-up comedy, nostalgic big bands, glorious opera, children's events, educational programs, world music and more. The long and colorful story of the State Theatre begins at the dawn of the roaring 20s ...

"On Monday afternoon at two-thirty I will have both the honor and pleasure of presenting to the citizens of the City of New Brunswick and surrounding territory what I consider the finest theatre in the State."

So declared theater manager Walter Reade in a quarter-page announcement in the Daily Home News December 20, 1921, as he proudly launched the State Theatre into the cultural life of central New Jersey. Designed by noted theater architect Thomas W. Lamb to offer both movies and live entertainment, "Reade's State Theatre" was one of the biggest, most lavish and modern theaters in the region.

The opening matinee audience, who willingly paid the twenty-, thirty-, and fifty-cent admission, was treated to a live orchestra concert and a tenor rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner." The first feature presentation was the silent film White Oak, a western melodrama starring stone-faced cowboy hero William S. Hart. Also on the bill were five vaudeville acts, a newsreel and a nature film. The State was the "class act in town," with its opulent decor, splendid acoustics, and delightful mix of cinematic and live attractions.

A few years into its operation, the theater's management was transferred to the B.F. Keith theater chain. Benjamin Franklin Keith and his partner, Edward Franklin Albee, operated the largest string of vaudeville theaters and the largest booking agency for vaudeville acts in the east. Eventually, the business merged with the largest western booking agency, Orpheum, to form Keith-Albee-Orpheum (KAO). The Radio Corporation of America (RCA), which entered the motion picture business after the advent of sound, acquired KAO in 1928. RCA renamed its new subsidiary Radio-Keith-Orpheum, RKO.

The State Theatre continued to thrive well into the sixties; until eventually audiences started flocking to new multiplex cinemas. In the face of this decline, RKO sold the building to a concern that converted the once-proud State Theatre into a road house that occasionally showed adult movies. It persisted in this state until 1979, when it was purchased by the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DevCo) as part of the New Brunswick's revitalization project. By this time, the State Theatre had suffered a sorry decline, both in appearance and reputation. Many doubted whether the grand old State Theatre could be saved.

In 1986, the New Brunswick Cultural Center acquired the State Theatre from DevCo, and by fall 1987 work was underway to reclaim the building from the ravages of time. Miraculously transformed back into a state-of-the-art showplace for live performances, the State Theatre reopened on April 24, 1988 and set the press and public raving about the hall's visual and acoustical splendors.

Sound the trumpets, fire the guns, ring the bells, and light the fireworks. At long last, the State of New Jersey has a concert hall worthy of her highest aspirations-a concert hall suitable not only for showcasing the state’s finest talents, but for hosting national and international visitors in an atmosphere of excellence, professionalism, revival and pride.
- The Star Ledger

Acoustics 10, seats 10, ambiance 10!...The art deco look of the theater is beautiful as well. The State Theatre is New Jersey’s Carnegie Hall.
- Asbury Park Press

There was more work to be done, however. In December of 2003, the theater began an extensive, $3 million restoration/renovation to return the theater as closely as possible to its original appearance while updating its sound and lighting systems to state-of-the-art. Experts from the architectural firm of Ford, Farewell, Mills and Gatch oversaw the cleaning and repair of the handsome terra cotta exterior. On the inside, artists from Conrad Schmitt of Milwaukee, a century-old firm specializing in historic restorations, painstakingly researched and physically probed several areas of the theater’s interior to determine the original paint colors, decorative trim style and other signature details of a Thomas W. Lamb theater. In some places, up to 20 layers of paint were stripped away to determine the original color scheme. The theater underwent ornamental plaster repair, decorative painting and replacement of house and lobby lighting, installation of high tech sound and lighting systems. The outer lobby’s dome ceiling boasted glittering new decorative work and historically accurate lighting fixtures were installed in the lobbies and theater.

Already renowned for its acoustics, performances and customer service, the newly refurbished State Theatre was unveiled in October 2004 at the season’s opening performance by comedian Jay Leno. Restored to its former glory, the State Theatre once again reigns as Central New Jersey’s “perfect auditorium.”

The roster of performers who have graced the State Theatre’s stage reads like a Who’s Who in the entertainment industry: Bill Cosby, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Yo Yo Ma, Bruce Springsteen, Dawn Upshaw, the Bolshoi Ballet, Betty Buckley, Ray Charles, Melissa Etheridge, Dave Brubeck, the Vienna Choir Boys, George Carlin, Sesame Street Live!, Loretta Lynn, the Kodo Drummers of Japan, and many others.

Today, the State Theatre once again stands as an elegant showplace and the region’s premier destination for the finest performing arts and entertainment. Credited as a major factor in the New Brunswick’s return to economic vitality, the State Theatre now annually attracts the vast majority (some 300,000) of the New Brunswick Cultural Center’s 350,000 patrons and contributes commensurately to what is now a $30 million industry.

The State Theatre gratefully acknowledges Middlesex County and the Board of Chosen Freeholders for securing renovation funding through Middlesex County’s Open Space Recreation and Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund. The most recent historic restoration project, which returned the theater to its original splendor, was directed by the New Brunswick Cultural Center with construction and logistical support provided by the New Brunswick Development Corporation.

The State Theatre is a proud member of the League of Historic American Theatres and has received Citations of Excellence from panels of arts experts that review funding applications nationwide. The State Theatre has consistently earned a Major Presenter Organization Designation from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts in recognition its "solid history of artistic excellence, substantial programming, and broad public service." This designation means that the theater stands among a select group of organizations across our state which comprise its anchor institutions that contribute vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey. Popular among readers of the Courier News and the Home News Tribune, the State Theatre has been selected the "Best Place to Enjoy Live Music."

Restored to its former glory, the State Theatre once again reigns as New Jersey's perfect auditorium.