Capitol Theater 90th Anniversary Open House

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Martin Jenich

The historic Capitol Theater, part of the Overture Center complex.

press release: Overture Center for the Arts is proud to celebrate the 90^th Anniversary of the opening of the Capitol Theater on Sun., Jan. 21, 2018, with an open house, tours and three screenings of the 1919 American short comedy film featuring Harold Lloyd, “Bumping into Broadway.” Jelani Eddington will play the original Grand Barton Organ throughout the afternoon, including the accompaniment for the film.

“It is incredible to me that, 90 years later, we are able to enjoy performances in this historic landmark – including silent film with our Duck Soup Cinema series,” said Overture’s President and CEO, Ted DeDee. “Each film screening is very low-cost and features live accompaniment on the theater’s original Grand Barton Organ, with many of them also highlighting local vaudeville acts. The Capitol Theater is also home to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Children’s Theater of Madison’s A Christmas Carol, the National Geographic Live! Series and many touring Overture Presents performances.”

Schedule for Sun., Jan. 21, 2018:

Noon – doors open

12:15 p.m. – Film “Bumping into Broadway” (runtime: 25 minutes)

12:45-1:25 p.m. – Self-guided Tours (Grand Barton Organ, Capitol Theater)

1:45 p.m. – Film “Bumping into Broadway”

2:15-3:05 p.m. – Self-guided Tours

3:25 p.m. – Film “Bumping into Broadway”

4:00-4:40 p.m. – Self-guided Tours

The tour will feature a behind-the-scenes look at Capitol Theater as well as the equipment used in the early days of historic theaters. This event is free and open to the public. No tickets are needed, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in the theater.

The Capitol Theater opened on Jan. 21, 1928, with vaudeville acts and the silent film “Her Wild Oat.” It is noted that over 6,000 people attended the opening, with speeches given by the Governor and Mayor. Designed by Rapp & Rapp, the Capitol was an example of the opulent movie houses built for the silent age. Uniformed ushers escorted guests to seats to watch vaudeville acts and feature-length shows with international stars. The theater boasted the latest in modern conveniences, including a Grand Barton theater organ, custom built by the Barton Musical Instrument Company of Oshkosh. http://www.overture.org/about/history 

The Capitol Theater 90^th Anniversary event is sponsored by Madison Club.

Duck Soup Cinema is sponsored by Goodman Jewelers and generously underwritten by Robert N. Doornek.  Additional funding provided by Madison Stagehands and Projectionists Union, I.A.T.S.E Local 251, contributions to Overture Center for the Arts, and by members of the Duck Soup Cinema Club.

Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wis., features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and five galleries where national and international touring artists, ten resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in nearly 700,000 educational and artistic experiences each year. Overture.org