While we live in Syracuse- we will always happily make the drive to the State Theater which we've seen multiple shows at. It's stunningly intimate while having the charm of a well taken care of theater. Concerts, performances, movie showings, & more fill up the beauty of this space which is so important to keep these venues living & breathing. read more

State Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Beautiful historic theater in The Commons in downtown Ithaca. Comfortable seating, good access to bathrooms and concessions. Only drawback is there is no AC so be prepared for it to get a little warm. Volunteers were friendly and helpful. Walking distance from Marriott on The Commons. read more

See all

Beautiful place but damn, it needs A/C. I love the marquee in the front, location is perfect and the view of the stage is pretty decent from the back rows. One thing thing preventing me from giving it more stars is that the floor is kind of dangerous. A guy was exiting the row I was sitting in and I got up, and stood in the aisle to let him out. He slipped on a wet spot in the floor and nearly took me down. read more

See all

First time here. Lovely theatre, sound was good. Enjoyed the bar too. Intimate performance spot. Can't wait to visit again. I hear the cookies are good...I did not partake read more

State Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Ithaca, New York

See all

Went to my first show today at The State Theatre. The staff went above and beyond to make my experience the best it could be! I highly recommend The State Theatre!! read more

State Theater - Stage - Performing Arts Near Me - Ithaca, New York

We saw Dinosaur Jr. here last Saturday and this place was really good, we traveled 4 and a half hours from NJ and left satisfied. The only complaint I really have is the temperature of the place and the area is very liberal. There's some people with twisted minds in that area but since I ignored that part the show was one of the best nights of my life. read more

State Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Ithaca, New York

See all

State Theater of Ithaca is a historic, 1600-seat theater located in Ithaca that hosts various events from bands, to plays, to comedy acts, to silent films, and more.The State Theatrer building dates back to 1915. Designed by local architect Henry N. Hinckley, it was originally the Ithaca Security Company auto garage and dealership. In 1928, architect Victor Rigaumont was hired to design and oversee the transformation of the garage and showroom into a cinema and vaudeville palace. Beginning with vaudeville, the theater evolved with the times. 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 movies houses, downtown cinema palaces like the State struggled. To adapt, the owners added a second movie screen in the 1970s, dividing the balcony from the main house. Ultimately, the theater closed in the 1980s because of financial difficulties and the demands of long-deferred maintenance, and after multiple attempts to revive the theatre and multiple owners, the theater finally reopened in 2001. The wife and I recently visited the State Theater for the first time for concert. Let's start with the pros...the theater is absolutely beautiful. It resembles a palace out of a fairytale on the inside, with interesting designs painted on the ceilings and lights that blink on and off and resemble a starry sky in the dark. There isn't a bad seat in the place, as every seat has an amazing view of the stage. The sound quality is great, even in the balcony. The bathrooms are clean, there are snack and drink (including beer) stands on site which are reasonably priced, and staff was relatively friendly. There is tons of on street parking very close to the theater, and being in the historic section of Ithaca, plenty of places nearby to grab some dinner beforehand. Cons...as others have said, it is EXTREMELY cramped. The seats are crammed together and are made for extremely small people. Now, granted, I'm 6 ft tall and 300 lbs, but there were tons of people nearby much smaller than myself complaining about how uncomfortable they were. Not only are you touching the person next to you at all times, but also the person in front of you, as there's also 0 leg room. And, as others have said, it is EXTREMELY warm. The theater has NO air conditioning, so with that many people in close quarters, especially if you're at a sold out show, it can be sweltering. I have to go back in two weeks for another concert and plan on wearing shorts and a tshirt, regardless of what others may be thinking. It's a beautiful theater to see a show, but it is so extremely uncomfortable to be in, I wouldn't come back unless it was a show I absolutely HAD to see. read more

State Theater - Performing Arts Near Me - Ithaca, New York

The music is always spot on. The lights are a bit too much.. blinding the audience. I ordered two giant peanut butter choc chip cookies a couple of weeks ago at "the Machine" show and they were freezer burnt. Bathroom water pressure needs to be turned down because it splashes you everywhere when washing your hands and flushing the toilets. No one was attending the garbages or the bathrooms. Maybe it was just one of the shows but I have been to two shows in the last few weeks and about to go to one more. Will see how the facilities and food goes at this one. It's an old theater so it has a lot of character but it needs some fine tuning for sure. read more

A classic, early-twentieth century style theater with a richly decorated interior. It has surprisingly good acoustics and maintains an intimate feel that provides for great back and forth between artists and the audience. read more

Saw Guster and Eli 'Paperboy' Reed and the True Loves here last year. The interior is really nicely decorated and they serve PBR cans as one of the only beer options. I was amused. The staff wasn't very friendly or helpful when it came to making you feel welcome as well as crowd control, which loses a notch or two from me. I'd only make a return trip if it were for an act I really had to see. read more

Saw a show here years back. Can't really remember who it was or when it was but it was a good show. Great atmosphere for it and the classic decor added to the experience. I remember standing up in the balcony and being amazed by the great view of the show. read more

Went to see Melissa Etheridge with my girl. First time there for both of us. Parking was super easy to find and a short walk to the venue was rather nice through the Commons. The Theater was lit up with a lot of people outside waiting to go in...we got in rather quickly stopped to use the restrooms (they were clean) found our seats with the help of an usher and then proceeded to roast our asses off! Not sure if the air-conditioning was on the fritz or if they even have it but there were signs posted about the heat and they were giving out water for free (nice) but we were in the balcony and it was rather uncomfortable trying to enjoy the show--our seats were pretty good and it wasn't a sold out show so we did move down closer without and issue but the sound was good and our view of the stage was unobstructed. Overall not a bad experience despite the issue with the AC. read more

My wife loves this place! Great venue without all the hassle and long lines of a larger theater. Staff was sooo nice and accommodating and overall had a great experience here. As a bonus, they have a great selection of candy. Highly recommend seeing a concert here. read more

Pros: intimate setting, parking garage available about 3 short blocks away, snacks and drinks on site (bring cash). Bathrooms were lean and well stocked. Cons: sound was only ok (that is being nice), perhaps not a great place to see a blues or rock music show. Seating is very cramped, no room to even stretch legs out even a little bit and I am only 5'6". My husband is 6'4"and he was extremely uncomfortable. Not enough restroom facilities. Very difficult to get around other people, just not enough room. I would consider a return trip to see a play but I doubt I would return for a concert, unless it was someone I HAD to see and had no other option. If you want great sound, more comfortable seating and an over all better experience, consider the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Well worth the drive. read more