PLEASE NOTE: The theater has been renamed Beale Street Theater but is still known under it’s old name, the State Theater. It is now the property of Kingman Center for the Arts and funds are being raised to renovate this lovely little theater. It will be the home of the Beale Street Theater community theater group, which is doing the fundraising. When finished, it will host not only theater, but also community events, visiting musicians and other performers. If you are in Kingman, be sure to check out the art gallery at the Art Hub, which is the home base for KCA and BST. Donations are accepted. Find out more at bealestreettheater.com or kingmanarts.org
PLEASE NOTE: Contrary to the note at the top of the page, Beale Street Theater (formerly the State Theater) is NOT OPEN. It is still in the process of fundraising for the renovation, which HAS begun. The roof has been fixed, the plans are in place for the interior, the junk and garbage has been cleared from the interior and the old seats have been removed. The proposed renovation will include a new stage which will reduce the seating to approximately 300 seats. The retail space next door (on the corner) will be converted to a pre-show lounge and dressing rooms. For glimpses of the theater before it closed, see the movie Roadhouse 66, where street scenes show glimpses of it both during the day and at night with the marquee lit.
This theater is actually in its second location (under that name). The original theater opened in 1939 and was on 4th street at Beale, which is now home to vintage shops and a tattoo shop. Due to outgrowing that location, the Rawlings then moved to it’s current location on Beale Street at 3rd, opening in the late 1940s, usually quoted as 1949 but some believe it could have opened as early as 1948.
No, don’t update to Beale Street Theater as it’s main name just yet, though referencing it as an alternative name would be nice. It is still known as the State Theater by many. It should also retain that older reference here as BST will be a completely new entity to many who won’t know the connection. There will be a new marquee of course (digital but in the style of an old theater marquee) and many updates. The renovation is slow but ongoing as funds are raised. We expect it to speed up over time as we near our fundraising goals, and it will again be an asset to the community. Right now, we have a grant challenge—if we can raise up to $100K on our own, a local business will match it. If you wish to contribute, you can go to https://www.bealestreettheater.com/donate/capital-campaign/
The parking situation is not a huge worry for this theater. There is a lot of parking on adjacent streets, not far, very walkable. Since it will still be a relatively small venue, we don’t expect to have many problems of that nature, no more than there were when the State Theater first opened. There has recently been a beautiful new mural painted on the back of the building as part of a local “Art Alley” project. The theater should be reopening sometime in the next couple of years, as fundraising is a slow, but ongoing process.
The renovation is going on, slowly as funds must be raised as we go. There are theatrical productions being presented in other venues to raise funds for the project. The next one is “Peter Pan” in June at Kingman High School. An animation of the projected renovated theater can be seen at https://www.bealestreettheater.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Beale-Street-Theater-1.0.m4v?_=1
On a very clear night, from our house on a hill about 8 miles away (hwy 127) we could see the screen of the Winnebago drive-in from our front door. It was just a bright dot on the horizon though. LOL! Had many hours of fun and lots of nap time at that drive in when we were kids. Never could stay awake long enough to see the second feature.
PLEASE NOTE: The theater has been renamed Beale Street Theater but is still known under it’s old name, the State Theater. It is now the property of Kingman Center for the Arts and funds are being raised to renovate this lovely little theater. It will be the home of the Beale Street Theater community theater group, which is doing the fundraising. When finished, it will host not only theater, but also community events, visiting musicians and other performers. If you are in Kingman, be sure to check out the art gallery at the Art Hub, which is the home base for KCA and BST. Donations are accepted. Find out more at bealestreettheater.com or kingmanarts.org
PLEASE NOTE: Contrary to the note at the top of the page, Beale Street Theater (formerly the State Theater) is NOT OPEN. It is still in the process of fundraising for the renovation, which HAS begun. The roof has been fixed, the plans are in place for the interior, the junk and garbage has been cleared from the interior and the old seats have been removed. The proposed renovation will include a new stage which will reduce the seating to approximately 300 seats. The retail space next door (on the corner) will be converted to a pre-show lounge and dressing rooms. For glimpses of the theater before it closed, see the movie Roadhouse 66, where street scenes show glimpses of it both during the day and at night with the marquee lit.
Some information on the theater’s history, that I referenced in my previous comment. https://www.bealestreettheater.com/history/
This theater is actually in its second location (under that name). The original theater opened in 1939 and was on 4th street at Beale, which is now home to vintage shops and a tattoo shop. Due to outgrowing that location, the Rawlings then moved to it’s current location on Beale Street at 3rd, opening in the late 1940s, usually quoted as 1949 but some believe it could have opened as early as 1948.
No, don’t update to Beale Street Theater as it’s main name just yet, though referencing it as an alternative name would be nice. It is still known as the State Theater by many. It should also retain that older reference here as BST will be a completely new entity to many who won’t know the connection. There will be a new marquee of course (digital but in the style of an old theater marquee) and many updates. The renovation is slow but ongoing as funds are raised. We expect it to speed up over time as we near our fundraising goals, and it will again be an asset to the community. Right now, we have a grant challenge—if we can raise up to $100K on our own, a local business will match it. If you wish to contribute, you can go to https://www.bealestreettheater.com/donate/capital-campaign/
The parking situation is not a huge worry for this theater. There is a lot of parking on adjacent streets, not far, very walkable. Since it will still be a relatively small venue, we don’t expect to have many problems of that nature, no more than there were when the State Theater first opened. There has recently been a beautiful new mural painted on the back of the building as part of a local “Art Alley” project. The theater should be reopening sometime in the next couple of years, as fundraising is a slow, but ongoing process.
Demolished.
The renovation is going on, slowly as funds must be raised as we go. There are theatrical productions being presented in other venues to raise funds for the project. The next one is “Peter Pan” in June at Kingman High School. An animation of the projected renovated theater can be seen at https://www.bealestreettheater.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Beale-Street-Theater-1.0.m4v?_=1
On a very clear night, from our house on a hill about 8 miles away (hwy 127) we could see the screen of the Winnebago drive-in from our front door. It was just a bright dot on the horizon though. LOL! Had many hours of fun and lots of nap time at that drive in when we were kids. Never could stay awake long enough to see the second feature.