Welcome Greetings and welcome to season two of “A Whole New State!” I am proud to introduce you to our second year as a full-fledged presenting theater and invite you to join us on the journey that is our 2007-2008 season. We’ve raised the bar on our inaugural campaign by adding two new music series to our existing slate. This season, we’ll offer a diverse range of talent from across the country and around the globe. The addition of the World Beat Music Series and Grassroots Music Series round out the returns of our Classics, Comedy, and Family Series and provide something for nearly every palate. Over 30,000 people discovered the new State Theatre last season over the course of sixty plus events. These events were extremely diverse, culturally enlightening, and always entertaining. Whether you enjoyed blues, Broadway or banging on a can, we had a show for you. This season we span another incredibly diverse spectrum and we have you covered from A to Z or better yet, from Arlo to Zanes. In addition to the incredible schedule of talent we’ve already booked for this season, we will add many more events in the coming months. Adding shows as they become available allows us to buy better and keep ticket prices reasonable. This is your theatre and we plan to keep it that way by offering the highest quality and most wide-ranging talent at competitive ticket prices. In taking the helm as executive director of the State this past April, I return to the world that is my passion, live entertainment. I am incredibly excited to be back in Ithaca and have longed to be back here since I left my post as manager and talent buyer for the Haunt in the alley on Green Street in 1995. I fondly remember having acts ranging from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert Collins to Pearl Jam and Phish grace our stage. In all my entertainment travels since my departure to a “bigger pond,” it was Ithaca and the Finger Lakes lifestyle that I craved. I am excited about the return of “Smalls World” to Ithaca and hope you will join me on the path toward the State’s continued resurgence. As many of you know, this spring we re-installed our refurbished STATE blade above the marquee and by the time you are reading this we’ll have begun work on the marquee restoration itself. “A Whole New State” is taking shape before our eyes. If last season was about potential, this season is the first step toward realization. So join us, won’t you? I invite you to subscribe to one of our four performing arts series you'll find here on the website. To subscribe you can either download the form and mail it in, call the box office, or stop in the new box office. On that note, I encourage you to visit our space and see how captivating it can be. Hopefully you will be motivated sufficiently to join our family. We welcome you to consider volunteering or becoming a member of the Friends of the State. Information regarding these opportunities can be found at our website www.stateofithaca.com. Once again, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to season two. Inspired? I hope so! Please join us this season! Sincerely, Dan Smalls Executive Director