ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Michigan Theater Foundation is pleased to reveal the newly remodeled State Theatre this December. The theatre will open to Michigan Theater members on December 8th and to the general public on December 9th. Tickets will go on sale later this month. The State Theatre is located at 233 S. State Street at the intersection of State Street and Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The State Theatre was built in 1942 and designed by architect C. Howard Crane, who also built the Fox Theatre in Detroit. Throughout the years ownership changed several times and when the last building owners showed desire to repurpose the theater for other uses, the Michigan Theater Foundation (MTF) stepped in to save the State. MTF purchased the historic theater in 2014 and has made it their mission to protect its successful multi-screen business model and expand its service to the community.
The State Theatre has been a visual and activity anchor for downtown Ann Arbor for 75 years. It brings diversity and excitement to the community while stimulating the economy of the Liberty and State Street area. Restoring it to its former glory and enhancing it with modern amenities ensures that generations to come will benefit from its cultural and economic impact and helps position the Michigan Theater Foundation as an international leader of art and cinema programming.
Undergoing an 8.5 million dollar transformation, The State Theatre will be getting an entire new layout that will increase the number of screens from two to four and will showcase many new amenities. Having four screens at The State Theatre will give both The State Theatre and The Michigan Theater the opportunity to show more films than ever before. The State Theatre will include the best new releases as well as highly-celebrated festival programming, repertory films, cult classics, and much more.
Under the guidance of The Michigan Theater Foundation, The State Theatre strives to better serve the community and recapture its Art Deco magic with some of the following new amenities:
· Restored and refreshed Art Deco design of the façade, entrance, lobby, and restrooms.
· A full-size elevator and escalator.
· Realigned comfortable seating and increased leg room.
· Four custom cinema screens – a 140 seat, a 100 seat, an 80 seat, and a 50 seat auditorium – with ample leg room.
· All auditoriums will be handicapped accessible and there will be new ADA features for mobility-impaired, hearing-impaired, and vision-impaired citizens.
· Installed new heating, cool, plumbing, electrical, and safety systems in the building.
· All auditoriums have updated movie projections and sound systems from Dolby Digital Surround Sound.
· A full-service cocktail bar with extensive wine and beer selections including local craft brews and ciders.
· Completely renovated concession stand with Michigan-themed snack mixes from Germack Pistachio Company and non-alcoholic drinks.
On top of the amazing movie-going experience, The State Theatre is able to provide all of their guests with “No-Stress Reserved Seating,” assigned seating which can be reserved at the time of their ticket purchase or in-person at the theatre. The hope is an increased movie-going experience where people can take their time with dinner, enjoy a drink with friends or grab concessions before the show, all the while knowing that the seats they selected are waiting for them when they’re ready to take them.
The State Theatre Official Social Channels:
WEBSITE: http://statetheatrea2.org/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pg/a2statetheatre
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/statetheatrea2
@StateTheatreA2
@A2StateTheatre
ABOUT MICHIGAN THEATRE FOUNDATION, INC:
Michigan Theater Foundation, Inc. (the “Foundation”) is a Michigan nonprofit organization, the purpose of which is to bring together audiences and support to appreciate and advance cinema and the performing arts, measurably benefit the diverse communities it serves, and maintain and protect the historic building entrusted to it. The Michigan Theater Foundation operates The Michigan Theater, The State Theatre, Art House Convergence and the Cinetopia Film Festival.
Source: The Michigan Theatre Foundation, Inc.