The State Theatre didn't wait for a big crowded event to begin selling alcohol.
Mike Negra, executive director of the State Theatre, said the theater sold beer and wine for the first time Monday during the 7 and 9:30 p.m. screenings of I've Loved You So Long.
There were only six people at the theater Monday night, and only one alcohol sale, said Kristy Cyone, marketing director for the State Theatre. Cyone said the small crowd gave the employees, who have received training in how to serve alcohol, a chance to practice what they've learned.
Cyone said everything went smoothly, and she doesn't expect any problems to arise from the theater selling alcohol. She added, though, employees are trained to turn away intoxicated people and underage students looking for alcohol.
"We understand that with the nature of the town that we live in sometimes there are problems with identification," Cyone said.
Though there are no signs outside the theater declaring it "ready to serve," and Negra and Cyone have no plans to advertise it, Cyone expects people will find out about it through word of mouth, she said.
Some members of the State College community may not be enthusiastic about the State Theatre selling alcohol.
On Oct. 6, State College Borough Council members voted 4-3 to send the theater's board of directors a letter drafted by council member Ronald Filippelli that urged the downtown venue "to set an example for alcohol-free entertainment by declining to apply for a performing arts liquor license."
However, the State Theatre did submit a performing arts liquor license application to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board on Dec. 5 and was approved for the license in early February, Negra sad.
Negra said the theater is stocked with four types of beer -- Budweiser, Bud Light, Yuengling and Heineken -- and three wines. He said the menu will change often, especially in regard to the wine.
"We're going to try to be inventive with a lot of our choices when it comes to wine," he said.
The State Theatre will have a full bar, including hard liquor, in time for The Metropolitan Opera - Live in HD on Saturday, Cyone said, adding the bar's selection will probably change over time, and could grow to include draft beer at some point.
Kathryn Iadarola, who was a co-owner and manager of the now-defunct Garman Opera House Theatre, 116 E. High St. in Bellefonte, is familiar with the process Negra has been going through.
She too obtained a liquor license for her theater, though she said it didn't increase revenues the way she thought it would.
"It didn't help my business, but they're in a better location, so it depends on the event," Ladarola said, adding her customers who took advantage of the alcohol enjoyed it.
Iadarola said her theater didn't experience increased rowdiness caused by the presence of alcohol, and she doesn't expect the State Theatre to experience problems, either.
"It depends on the type of audience that's going to be there. Overall I don't think it will effect it negatively," she said.
Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch (graduate-mass communications) attends a movie at the State Theatre about once a month, and said she likes that the theater has started to serve alcohol.
"It's great. I don't see any reason why not to enjoy a drink with your movie," she said.
Oeldorf-Hirsch, who last attended the theater to see Rachel Getting Married, added she doesn't think the presence of alcohol will cause any problems.
"There are so many bars downtown anyway, it's not like they're introducing alcohol to that area," she said. "I'd imagine the crowd at the State Theatre isn't going there to get drunk."
