What's New
What's ahead for Auburn's State Theatre
APPAC President Paul Ogden
After successfully operating our 130 seat "demonstration theater" for almost four years, the APPAC Executive Board wants to take another step toward reaching our ultimate goal of a fully operational 500 seat community performing arts center. The full-fledged restoration project will cost several million dollars. That level of funding is in process and takes time. We are now looking at an interim step that will take us in the right direction--but at a much lower cost.
Under consideration is a project that would involve taking down the right hand wall of our existing 130 seat theater and creating a much larger theater which spans the entire width of the building, allowing seating for 250-275. This would also reopen the expansive 40-foot stage. We propose creating a green room and storage area below the stage, and a disabled access restroom adjacent to the Marquee Room.
By current California Building code we are restricted to an interim project construction value of $128,000 or we must do hundreds of thousands of dollars of code work on the entire building (not just the theater portion). This will be our major challenge. This does not mean the overall project cost cannot exceed $128,000 (and we are currently working with a total project budget of $300,000 for this step). We plan to use as much volunteer labor as we can and while we would not pay for volunteer labor, the "value" of the labor counts against the $128,000 limit.
What can you expect to see when you enter the expanded theater? For the first time in decades patrons will see from outside wall to outside wall. This step will recapture the full opening of the proscenium, and we plan to build upon existing stage lighting, sound and technical capabilities. Acoustics will be improved and we will be ready for a wider variety of entertainment.
Preliminary planning on this project is underway with a team headed by APPAC Board Member, Kevin Odell and including architect, Paul Breckenridge, and APPAC Board Members Paul Ogden, George Remaley, and Tony Broadbent. This is a very positive step toward our ultimate goal of 500 seats, which will enable us to attract artists, musicians and performers who need a larger stage and house. The venue will provide for new talent and larger audiences, thus enhancing operating revenue for APPAC. On with the show!
Much Anticipated State Theatre Roofing Project is Complete!
New roof anticipates theater's next phase
See a slideshow and read an article about the project here
During the summer APPAC completed a huge $200,000 tear-off and re-roofing project of the State Theatre in anticipation of the next phase of reconstruction.
Based on project planning meetings with APPAC Vice President of Operations Ron Ravo, board members Kevin Odell, Paul Ogden, and Rod Haack, and architect Paul Breckinridge, APPAC hired Legacy Roofing to do the job.
The scope and magnitude of the project also involved Maki Heating and Air, Bendz Painting Company, and Solomon Electric. The work not only corrected known dry rot and drainage problems that had plagued the organization since purchasing the building in 2008, but corrected newly-discovered ones as well.
The re-roofing fixed drainage issues and tapered the roof toward the drain. In the process the 11 air conditioning units were removed and reinstalled with new ducting. New curbs were also built for the air conditioning units in anticipation of future theater expansion.
In a surprise finding, workers found the concrete floor and window frames for the old 1930s-era projection room. Ravo said that it was located on the roof a long way from screen and stage, illustrating the size of the original theater auditorium that once
housed more than 1,300 seats.
Joining the Marquee Club is a tax-deductible donation
The Marquee Club helps APPAC meet its day to day expenses (theater and equipment maintenance, utilities, insurance, etc.) because revenue from ticket sales alone does not pay all our bills.
If you haven't had a chance to make a contribution to the Marquee Club, please consider doing so now.
Memberships will help APPAC to continue bringing high quality entertainment at the State Theatre.
Please join as Cast Member ($35), Star Member ($50), Headliner ($100), Producer
($250) and Director ($500+).
Learn more about the Marquee Club here.
To see more about these events and others, view our current newsletter here
