State Theatre New Jersey Announces Historic Seat Auction
Proceeds from the
Seat Auction will benefit State Theatre’s Next Stage Campaign renovation
plans aimed at ensuring accessibility throughout the theater and safety for
all, including an elevator for access to all theater levels; upgrading patron
amenities throughout the theater, backstage areas, and production equipment;
and improving efficiencies in systems to reduce operational costs. For more
information about the Next Stage Campaign, visit STNJ.org/NextStage.
The Seat
Auction bidding ends at 11:59pm on Friday, October 30. Each item will go to the
highest bidder. Winners will be contacted by a State Theatre representative by
email on November 3 for pickup arrangements. An official certificate of
authenticity from State Theatre New Jersey will accompany each item.
ABOUT THE SEATS
These historic State Theatre New Jersey seat pairs have a patent date stamped on the cast-iron interior side of the seats as October 8, 1929. They were fabricated by the American Seating Company (also noted for their seats in Radio City Music Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, the original Yankee Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the United States Senate chamber). The seats come as connected pairs and feature solid wood arm rests (with brass seat number plaques), curved plywood backs, plush red upholstered fabric, and black cast-iron frames with cast-iron period end standards. They can be free-standing or mounted on a floor.
VIP Box Seats
These historic State Theatre New Jersey
seats feature a solid wood frame and red upholstered fabric with a rounded
back. The seats were used in State Theatre’s VIP Loge Boxes and
considered the best in the house.
VIP Orchestra Pit Seats
These single seats feature a solid wood frame, red upholstered fabric, and
squared back. These seats were considered one of the best in the
historic State Theatre New Jersey’s house and were placed over the
theater’s orchestra pit when the pit was not in use; the closest you can get to
the stage.
About State
Theatre New Jersey
State Theatre was built in
1921 as a silent film and vaudeville palace. Recognizing the historic
significance of the theater, PBS honored State Theatre New Jersey by featuring
it in its documentary series, Treasures of New Jersey, in the fall of
2018. “Treasures of New Jersey: State Theatre New Jersey” can be streamed at
STNJ.org/History. Today, State Theatre is the largest performing arts center in
Central New Jersey and has welcomed over 5.9 million people through its doors
since reopening as a non-profit performing arts center in 1988. State Theatre
New Jersey is a cornerstone of the cultural vitality of Middlesex County, and
averages a total economic impact on New Brunswick and the surrounding area of
more than $18 million a year. The mainstage
programs have featured high-caliber artists such as Diana Ross,
Tony Bennett, Kevin Hart, Ringo Starr, Melissa Etheridge, John Leguizamo, Harry
Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Program
offerings include Broadway, orchestra, family, dance, comedy, rock/pop, jazz,
Performances for Schools, and Sensory-Friendly Performances.
State Theatre New Jersey’s
programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the
Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Grant funding has
been provided by the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders through a
grant award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Arts Trust Fund.
