Auburn's State Theatre celebrates reopening with 1931's 'Frankenstein'

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Jeff Farrell | Outpost Creative

To celebrate the re-opening of the State Theatre, the Auburn Placer Performing Arts Center is presenting A Night with the Franks -- a double feature screening of the 1931 horror film "Frankenstein" and Mel Brooks's 1974 comedy "Young Frankenstein." This is the theater before its renovation.

Mark Anderson

Staff Writer- Sacramento Business Journal

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The Auburn Placer Performing Arts Center is presenting A Night with the Franks -- double feature screening of the 1931 horror film "Frankenstein" and Mel Brooks's 1974 comedy "Young Frankenstein."

The event is part of the grand opening month of the State Theatre, which just underwent a major $500,000 remodel.

The screening Thursday also includes a Frankenstein character costume contest, a frankfurter bar and local beer.

The theater is at 985 Lincoln Way in Auburn. The show starts at 7 p.m. and admission is $6.

The 1931 building was originally part of the vaudeville circuit, and was divided into two movie theaters. This year, the theater was extensively renovated back into a single 335-seat venue which now features live music, movies, comedy and other performances.

The renovation went $200,000 over budget, but the cost over-run was met by community support and some corporate grants, said Janis Wikoff, executive director of the Auburn Placer Performing Arts Center.

During the demolition of the dividing wall, construction crews ran into "multiple aspects of the building we had not known about," Wikoff said.

Underneath the drop ceiling, for example, there were still ornate and decorative motifs from the original construction. There was also a decorative proscenium arch from the original stage, she said.

The theater also now boasts slightly used seats it bought from Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. That theater renovated to be able to show Imax movies, so it sold off its seats, Wikoff said.

Since re-opening Oct. 14, the State Theatre has shown movies, has had several bands and a magician perform. Attendance has ranged from more than half full to a sold out show for magician Alex Ramon.

A local theater company will start a three-week run of "Fiddler on the Roof" later this year.

Mark Anderson covers technology, agriculture, banking and finance, venture capital, energy, mining and hospitality for the Sacramento Business Journal.