State Theatre parties for Prince

The State Theatre is partying like it’s 1999.

As part of the ongoing kickoff of its new membership program, the historic downtown Modesto theater will host a “Purple Rain” Costume & Dance Party on Saturday, June 11. The event, like many of the venue’s film-themed parties, encourages the community to come out and dress up, this time in a tribute to the late artist Prince. The festivities will include dancing, specialty themed cocktails and a screening of “Purple Rain.”

“We want people to dance; we want people to dress the part. Purple is not mandatory, but come on,” said State Theatre Executive Director Sue Richardson.

The show will include live music from Tim Allen and Joe Barretta and a laser light show by Brian Friend of Laser Voodoo Laser before the screening.

The party, like the upcoming Bastille Day celebration July 10 and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” outdoor screening July 16 and Aug. 13, is one of several themed events the theater has thrown over the years. Richardson said they help bring in new crowds to the 82-year-old nonprofit theater.

Since taking over in 2007, Richardson has dramatically increased the number of films – both first-run, foreign and art-house fare – that the one-screen theater has shown. Now, instead of six screenings of one film a week, there are around 17 screenings of up to four different films each week. Each year, that amounts to more than 700 showings. The theater also continues to host live music and other special events.

In the past few years, the theater has undergone several major improvement projects, from replacing the digital marquee to upgrading to all-digital projection and installing a new sound system. The latest renovation was building a larger concession area to expand the number of offerings the theater has for customers.

“People really appreciate the fact they can grab something to eat, they can grab a cocktail,” Richardson said. “In fact, a cocktail and popcorn is turning out to be one of our most winning combinations.”

Still, as a nonprofit, Richardson said keeping the theater afloat continues to be a struggle. The nonprofit group runs on an annual budget of about $750,000, which all comes from private or business donations. It is staffed by 15 mostly part-time employees.

So this month, the theater launched a new membership campaign. Like with other arts organizations, membership comes with perks like discounts, movie passes and even free popcorn. State board member Patty Halvorson said it’s a way to both provide the theater with a financial backbone and better connect with its patrons.

“It’s one of those things we’ve wanted to do it for a long time. It’s something that will help keep people connected and coming back time after time,” Halvorson said. “The generosity of the Modesto community to the State is heartwarming to me. Every time we have a need for the community to come together and make it happen for us, they have. People are excited about keeping the theater updated and relevant.”

Membership levels range from the $50 Individual Film Fan to the top-tier $2,500 Producer. The new membership program also offers discounted levels for young adults – under age 30 – and seniors.

“It’s really a win-win. It allows us to bring in better programming and sustain our programming. And it’s a way to feel like you’re part of the family and part of our support system,” Richardson said. “It’s buy in – you belong here.”

This story was originally published June 7, 2016 at 4:09 PM with the headline "State Theatre parties for Prince."