State Theater welcomes new director

Jacob White is looking forward to his new role in the community after becoming the new director of Ely’s Historic State Theater in March.

The new role is one White is very passionate about.

“For me, it’s about wanting to help bring my skill sets into making this place the best that it can be,” said White.

White first became acquainted with Ely while going to film school in New York.

During his summers, he guided canoe trips for the Boy Scouts of America in the BWCA and fell in love with the area. He later moved to Ely in 2018.

White said he applied for the position for many reasons, one of which is because he is a very service-minded person and loves serving the community.

Another reason is because he loves the State Theater and said it is one of the most unique theaters in the state.

“I’m a filmmaker, and I’m interested in going to see movies at a nice new theater like many people. I don’t think there’s another theater in a hundred-mile radius that has quite the caliber of equipment we have here,” said White.

When White first moved to Ely, the State Theater was in disrepair, but renovations soon began when it was purchased by a family business specializing in historic preservation and redevelopment called Alley A Realty.

“The first time I came to Ely, it stood out to me seeing the marquee there and wondering how come the place is closed,” said White. “When they started to reopen it and renovate, it caught my interest seeing the community come together, and I realized the theater was something I wanted to be a part of.”

Since taking over the position of director at the State Theater, a challenge White has had to overcome is getting used to all the established systems the theater uses.

White expected this when he took over the role, however, and is embracing this aspect of the job.

“It’s been an intensive learning process,” said White. “I would equate it to going to an intensive business school, but with the State Theater being the focus. I’m learning as much as I can and trying to soak it up like a sponge.”

In the next year, White and the rest of the team at the State Theater want to focus on both the quality and quantity of their offerings.

“It’s all about growing capacity,” said White. “We’re trying to get to a point where we have more sustaining income and can put on bigger and better events.”

A new offering at the State Theater, which has been met with positive reviews, are UFC fight night events.

“That has been a big hit,” said White. “We want to make sure there is something for everyone. We have had really good turnouts for the UFC nights every month.”

When people come to the theater to watch the fights, they are saving money, making it a win-win.

“It’s a lot cheaper coming here to watch the fights than to buy them for $80 by yourself,” said White. “It’s been cool watching folks gather, have a couple of beverages, and enjoy watching the fights on the big screen.”

This fall, the State Theater plans on an educational program called “CinemaKidz” which will be a program for fourth graders.

“The idea is to bring in fourth graders after school and show them a film and have some fun conversations about it,” said White. “There will be fun activities and different ways to get them engaged.”

White said films are a fantastic way for kids to learn and connect with each other, and the class will be oriented around having fun and learning.

“Movies are just such a great way to relate to others and learn about ourselves. Seeing how films bring people together was one of the big reasons I got into filmmaking in the first place,” said White.

Though the State Theater is known for the place people go to watch movies, White said he wants the theater to be more than that.

“We want the community to know that this is their theater. It is their space,” said White. “We want people to spend time here and hang out.”