The State Theatre has received a liquor license and will begin serving alcohol later this month, ending months of speculation and public debate.
"Technically we could serve tonight if we wanted to," Mike Negra, the
theater's executive director, said Monday.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) approved the license Feb. 3, said Francesca Chapman, PLCB deputy press secretary. The theater, located at 130 W. College Ave., submitted a performing arts liquor license application to the PLCB on Dec. 5.
Negra said the theater will probably serve alcohol for most events, though children's events will be alcohol-free, and student-sponsored events will probably be dry as well.
The State Theatre is not competing with local bars, Negra said.
"It's not the kind of place you go to get wasted," he said.
Some local politicians worry about the implications of another downtown business with the ability to serve alcohol.
On Oct. 6, the State College Borough Council voted 4-3 to send a letter to the theater's board of directors urging it not to seek the license.
Council member Theresa Lafer said Monday she is disappointed the theater can now sell alcohol.
"It's a shame that they ever asked for it," she said. "It's a very bad example for children when adults are telling them, 'We can have lots of fun at the theater. Let's go drink there.' "
Council member Peter Morris said he appreciated the fact that the State Theatre informed the council of its plans, even though the theater was not required to do so.
He added that he thinks the new liquor license will help the theater's financial situation.
"The State Theatre is an important cultural jewel of State College," Morris said.
State College Mayor Bill Welch said he doesn't expect any problems to arise from the theater's new status.
"I don't see the State Theatre as creating the circumstances that lead to dangerous drinking, and thus I'm not concerned with them having a performing arts license," Welch said.
Performing arts licenses are much more restrictive than a standard liquor license, Chapman said.
Alcohol can only be served two hours before a performance, during the performance and one hour after the performance, she said. Alcohol cannot be served between 2 and 7 a.m. and can only be served from 1 to 10 p.m. on Sundays. The license also forbids selling drinks intended for off-the-premises consumption, she said.
Out of the 17,000 liquor licenses in Pennsylvania, only 45 are performing arts licenses, Chapman said.
University Park Undergraduate Association President Gavin Keirans said the State Theatre provides a valuable service to the community, adding he doesn't expect the license to cause problems because students who want to drink already have plenty of places to do it.
"I don't think there's a problem with them having a liquor license," Keirans (junior-business management) said. "Having another one isn't necessarily going to lead to more drinking."
Negra expects the license to help the theater economically.
"We're excited about it," he said. "We think it's a great enhancement to what we're doing."
