The New York State Pavilion, once the shining symbol of the 1964/65 New York World’s Fair, now sits in the middle of New York City as a haunting reminder of what became of the age of optimism that was the early 1960s. Continuing on with its Theaterama! program series, the Queens Theatre is hosting a film screening of Modern Ruin (2015), a film that tells the story of Philip Johnson’s New York State Pavilion during the glory days of the Fair, and chronicles its demise over the past 50 years. The film details its post-fair use as a 60s concert venue and 70s roller rink, including the years of neglect and recent growing advocacy efforts.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with “Modern Ruin” Director Matthew Silva and Bill Cotter, author of The 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair (Images of America), moderated by Katha Cato, Executive Director of the Queens World Film Festival.

The Queens Theatre kicked off Theaterama!, a months-long celebration with events commemorating the 1964–1965 World’s Fair to mark its 60th anniversary. The series, named after the theater built for the New York State Pavilion, will run through October. It includes tours, talks, film, and artistic performances. To see a full calendar of events for Theaterama!, visit the website.

Queens Theatre is the premier performing arts venue in Queens. Queens Theatre’s mission is to provide quality and diverse performing arts activities that are economically and geographically accessible to the 2.2 million residents of Queens, the most ethnically diverse county in the nation, and the surrounding metropolitan region. To foster greater cultural awareness and appreciation, the Theatre presents and produces programs that reflect this diversity and features international, national and local artists.

Sunday July 14, 3:00 pm
Claire Shulman Theater
Queens, NY
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