Beginning Thursday, October 8, Capital University’s Theatre Department will be celebrating its 100 year anniversary with performances of the show Metamorphoses, a play by Mary Zimmerman.
With its first show dating back to 1915, the Capital Theatre has meant many different things for many different people. Dan Heaton, professor at Capital and director of Metamorphoses, shared his thoughts on what effect Capital Theatre has on students and their audience.
“The great thing about theatre is that it can mean something different to each person involved—there is no universal response to live theatre. Some performers think of themselves as artists and participate for aesthetic reasons. Others may participate because they think it’s fun and a way to meet people. Still others may participate because they are engaged in the intellectual process of using art to understand the human experience,” Heaton said. “Audiences, too, return for a variety of reasons—some people love being entertained; some come to support their family and friends; some come back to see what we’ve come up with this time!”
Heaton is no stranger to the Capital Theatre, as he has been a part of the program for 20 years. From theatre related majors and minors to improvements in the facilities themselves, Heaton is proud to have watched Capital Theatre grow into the excellent program it is today.
“Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen some great changes in both the program and the facilities. Although our space is small and hidden away in the corner of the basement in the Student Union, we manage to continually push the boundaries of what people would imagine could be done in our space,” Heaton said. “Since it’s so flexible, we often totally change the stage configurations and audience seating locations, depending on the artistic vision for each show. Some theaters don’t have that flexibility, especially those in which there is a proscenium arch and the seats are bolted down,” Heaton stated.
“Programmatically, we were a minor 20 years ago and only offered a small number of courses. Now, we have a major (communication with emphasis in theatre studies), 2 minors (theatre and entertainment technology), expected courses such as Intro, Theatre History, Acting, and Stagecraft, but we also have some innovative courses such as Alternative and Experimental Theatre and Magic.”
Choosing Metamorphoses for the 100 year anniversary has multiple levels of value to CU Theatre. For instance, this was designer Jeff Gress’ first show with CU Theatre 10 years ago. CU Theatre also has the opportunity to work with the original Broadway production’s Tony-nominated lighting designer for Metamorphoses, so it was an obvious choice when deciding what show to perform. The show itself also embodies what CU Theatre is all about.
“We love this show because it is about transformations. CU Theatre has experienced multiple transformations over the past 100 years, and this show is a way to celebrate that,” Heaton noted.
This is the first time in over 25 years that CU Theatre is doing a show on the same weekend as Homecoming, providing a unique opportunity to connect with alumni of the program. Alumni Relations will be sponsoring a reception for anyone who has ever participated in a CU Theatre production to celebrate the 100 year anniversary.
Shows will begin Thursday, October 8 at 8 p.m. through Saturday, October 10, 8 p.m. and Sunday, October 11 at 2 p.m. in the Cabaret Theater in the lower-level of the Harry C. Moores Student Union.
Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, and FREE with a Capital ID
The box office number is 614-236-7174 and reservations can be made.
Due to limited seating in general admission, the Theatre Department recommends arriving 30 minutes before show time—reservations not claimed by 5 minutes before show time will be released to people on a waitlist.
CU Theatre national theatre honorary, Alpha Psi Omega, has a new webpage, www.capitaltheatre.org . Alumni and friends of the theatre are welcome to go to the page and find out about activities, shows, and an archive of past shows and picture galleries.
