It's been there for years, often forgotten and overlooked as just another forever-ongoing construction project, nestled between the building fronts on College Avenue. But tonight the State Theatre will open its doors to the public for the first time since closing them in March 2001.

The idea of the new State Theatre is to bring in a variety of acts and entertainment to State College, Joe Apfelbaum, programming manager, said.

"The point is that this diverse entertainment option is about to become a reality in our community, and it has never been attempted on this scale before," Apfelbaum said. "Now, instead of having to drive to Philadelphia, New York or Pittsburgh, people can plan on seeing large-market oriented entertainment in State College."

Apfelbaum said the goal of the Theatre is to expand students' and community members' cultural horizons.

"People need to know and trust that this will be a fantastic cultural opportunity. If, for instance, they haven't heard of a particular artist, like the world-class rock band Marah, they should realize that these artists are of an exceptional quality and well-worth the time and money to explore further," he said.

Apart from being a musical venue, the Theatre also will bring smaller independent movies along with timeless films from past generations to State College.

"So much energy and money goes into producing big-budget Hollywood films that rely more on flash than substantial content," Apfelbaum said. "We will be an alternative to those kinds of films and the Cineplex environment by bringing in such movies as A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints along with paying homage to old classics such as Dr. Zhivago, The Wizard of Oz and Indiana Jones."

Mike Desmond, vice president of the Board of Directors, also said the originality of the Theatre centers on the variety of entertainment they are providing.

"The State Theatre will provide Centre County with its own excellent non-profit performing arts center for theatre, dance, film and music," Desmond said. "Programming will be a mix of local and touring performances for all ages, that for years hasn't had an appropriate local stage on which to present and be enjoyed."

The Theatre, which was originally built in 1938, had been on the forefront of providing cutting edge entertainment to the community until it closed five years ago, Kristy Cyone, the marketing manager, said.

"It opened as a progressive movie theatre, presenting rare viewings of some shows only offered in the most distinguished theatres in the country," she said. "Now, we can offer that and much more to the community. Not only will we keep the film selection fresh and exciting, but we can now offer the same quality throughout theatre, dance, comedy, children's entertainment, music and so much more."

Apfelbaum said he also hopes the Theatre will become a venue for local performers and hopes the community will support that aspect as well.

"We're going to allow local bands to come and play their original songs, which they don't really have the opportunity to do on the bar scene," he said. "Without the local performers we're not really a community theatre."

Because the Theatre's mission will be a variety of programs, Apfelbaum said he will take into consideration the response of the community when scheduling future acts.

"We have a suggestions area at our Web site that is extremely valuable to us. In many cases, we already have booked the performers that people want to see," he said. "I'm going to be really flexible. We'll see what the community supports and go in that direction with our acts."

Apfelbaum said students and the community should be interested in the Theatre because it supports student performers, and it will offer entertainment they won't be able to find anywhere else.

"There is never an instance where exposure to the arts is a bad thing, especially for the next generation," he said. "We want students, alumni and faculty to know that we are providing them with quality artists, quality film and even the possibility of possibly performing at the State Theatre."