The following is a republished press release from a community organization or member and NOT written by the Ithaca Voice … to submit community announcements to The Voice, contact us at jstein@ithacavoice.com.
Read full coverage about this Halloween’s upcoming “Wizarding Weekend” here.
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ITHACA, N.Y. – The State Theatre of Ithaca, M&T Bank and The Ithaca Times Classic Movie Series continues with “Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets” at 11am, and “Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban” at 3pm on October 31st 2015.
General admission tickets for both “The Chamber Of Secrets” and “The Prisoner of Azkaban” are $6 for adults and $5 for patrons in costume. Tickets are available through the State Theatre Box Office at 105 W. State/MLK Jr. St., by calling 607-277-8283, or online at www.stateofithaca.com.
Originally opened in 1928, The State Theatre flourished as a premier entertainment venue and was a source of great pride to Tompkins County residents for many decades. Beginning with vaudeville and then black and white silent film, the theater has evolved with the times.
Executive Director of The State Theatre of Ithaca, Doug Levine comments:
“The public’s response Press Bay’s Alley decision to “dress up” as Diagon Alley this Halloween has been more successful than anyone could’ve imagined. What originally started out as a fun way to attract a few hundred people to some downtown stores has gone completely viral, with thousands of people expected to attend from all over the country. The State Theatre of Ithaca is thrilled to offer another fun experience in what promises to be a very memorable first-time event in downtown Ithaca. We screened the first film, “Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone” during the Commons Re-Opening Celebration and welcomed over 600 enthusiastic Harry Potter fans. We’re hoping many more will take advantage of seeing “The Chamber of Secrets” and “The Prisoner of Azkaban” in an beautiful, historic theatre that many people often compare to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”
When movies became more popular in the early 1930s, the theater thrived primarily as a cinema house. After World War II, with the advent of television and suburban movie houses, downtown cinema palaces like the State struggled, and eventually large historic theatres like The State stopped screening movies. The State Theatre stopped showing movies in the mid-90’s. Some of the final films to be screened there included “The Shawshank Redemption”, “Natural Born Killers” and “Forrest Gump”.
State Theatre of Ithaca Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that owns and operates Tompkins County’s last remaining historic theatre. Their mission is to enhance the cultural life of Ithaca and the Finger Lakes by preserving, operating and promoting the historic State Theatre as an active venue for national, international and community performances and programming. Over 65,000 people will attend events there during the 2015/16 season.
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