Audiences can experience the opulence of going to the Metropolitan Opera without having to wear a gown or hold up gold binoculars beginning tomorrow afternoon.

The State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave., will air videos of eight performances from the Metropolitan Opera, starting with Charles Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette," which will show at 1 p.m.

Gounod composed well-known operas such as "Faust," and his operatic version of "Roméo et Juliette" will be a wonderful romantic performance, said Susan Boardman, director of the Penn State opera program.

"It is a total treat that this opera is coming here, not just for the audience but for the State Theatre as well," Boardman said.

Although this is the Metropolitan Opera's second season broadcasting some of its performances live, this is the first time the State Theatre will be airing the series, said Kristy Cyone, marketing and sales manager of the State Theatre.

The other seven performances in the series are Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel," Verdi's "Macbeth," Puccini's "Manon Lescaut" and "La Bohème," Britten's "Peter Grimes," Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde" and Donizetti's "La Fille du Régiment."

"I will be interested, as well, to see if people are interested in seeing more opera in this market," Cyone said.

Opera has not been a huge staple at Penn State, and hopefully, these performances will draw people in, she added.

"So many of us here in the mountains don't have much of an opportunity to see opera," Boardman said.

The showing at the State Theatre is also a good opportunity for people interested in opera to see a quality Metropolitan Opera without paying the hefty ticket price for the actual show, Cyone said.

The price of tickets to the State Theatre viewing is a mere $22 for students and compared to a range of $80 to $300 for decent seats at the actual opera, the live broadcast is a great bargain, Boardman said.

There is a Metropolitan Opera fan base at Penn State and many subscriptions for the whole series of performances have already been sold, Cyone said.

"I am very excited to see the opera," Lauren Mouney (graduate-voice performance and pedagogy) said.

Because the performances are live, they will also provide a different ambiance for the show than if it was pre-recorded, Cyone said.

"I think it will feel as though I am actually there," Mouney said.

Cyone said she hopes there will be a good-sized audience for the show, and 100 people have already bought tickets to see "Roméo et Juliette."

"This showing will be a good gauge to see how something like this is received," Cyone said.