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The State Theatre
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Music:
- Live
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
4 reviews for The State Theatre
The State Theatre (or "State" as its known locally) is the last historical movie theater left in Lincoln's "downtown" still showing movies. The State consists of one main auditorium and a single wide screen. It's location on "O" Street is very convenient as there is close parking as well as close access to other night spots, taverns and eateries. State offers an art-house and (in my opinion) more mature cinema experience compared to other cinemas and multiplexes. State features your usual movie theater-style refreshments like popcorn, candy and soft drinks. In addition, mixed drinks, beer, wine and pizza are also available at very reasonable prices to be enjoyed as you watch your movie in their large, historical auditorium. Seating consists of couches, love seats and La-z-boys toward the front (a cozy touch), as well as cafe-style tables and chairs filling the rest of the auditorium. This promote a social experience for enjoying featured movies and events. Overall, the seating design is comfortable, informal and quite enjoyable. However, I would personally request they provide even more couches and love seats toward the front, because they fill up too fast sometimes. ;-) Depending on the movie or event, I would suggest coming early.
General Admission is 21 and over OR under 21 if accompanied by an adult. The State maintains a mature atmosphere while still being extremely family friendly. I particularly enjoy the fact that I can hit the theater with a group of buddies and enjoy three things I love: great movies, beer and pizza! I also appreciate being able to take a special someone to State and not be bombarded with kids running all over the place (and the noise) while watching a film. As patrons travel to and from their seats frequenting the bar to order drinks and refreshments, they do so in a very courteous manner. As I said earlier, I definitely recommend showing up early and snagging a love seat if you take that special someone to a movie at State. You'll never want to sit in stadium-style seating again! ;-)
In addition to movies, State also features live bands, comedy and specialty events on a frequent basis. Admission for events like Comedy Shows, Concerts and Husker Games is usually 18 and over or younger if accompanied by a parent or guardian. This past Fall, I enjoyed watching a few Husker games at State. i had fun all three times! Think of it as taking the experience of having a bunch of friends over to watch the big game and multiplying it a couple of hundred times. There are no fans like Husker fans and to have a couple hundred in a cozy setting like The State Theatre is oh so sweet. While Husker Stadium still is the best experience for catching home games, the State is a very close second as well as being a great bet for away games or when the weather gets rough. Plus, at State you can have a refreshing adult beverage during the game. Lot's of fun!
And I have yet to mention the #1 reason why The State Theatre is such a great time - general admission for movies is only $3.95 per person. Now that's a great deal!
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
Kudos for a variety of acts, but please renovate!
This space has been through quite a few different owners & businesses in the past decade.
While I love that the current owner hosts local "Battles of the Bands" and occasionally brings in live comedy (hard-pressed to find elsewhere in Lincoln), I have yet to be impressed. The front lobby is very cute, but the actual theater leaves much to be desired. The sound system works for live bands or dance music, but it sucked for the one movie I saw there ("What'd he say? Huh?")
They have a pretty cool setup - something close to stadium seating, but with tables. There's a big dance floor in front, with a bar serving alcohol & limited food (think roller-skating rink snack bar). They also have a couple couches down there.
I just keep hoping someone will invest in it & turn it into something beautiful, like a couple notches down from the Rococo Theater.
We were here for the Prairie Vibrations reggae festival, so my review is based on seeing live music at the theatre. The State was nicely remodeled from it's days as a movie theatre. It was pretty clean, and I liked the way they changed the stadium seating into tiered areas of tables and chairs. There were plenty of places to sit and have a good view of the stage. The dance floor was also spacious, and the sound was done well. Drinks were cheap, but they ran out of the beer that was on special. Like so many midwestern bars and theatres, I wish they provided a coat check in the winter months. From the exterior, the theatre looks pretty plain, but was a good place to see some music and spend an evening.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
This is a nice little venue... Actually, it's a bit decrepit inside, but kudos to them for trying to do something new... I saw a magic show there and had a great time. Also, they're showing Juno and sent me an email for 4 free tickets, which was cool. A little something different.
