After returning from the League of Historic Theatres’ national conference, I immediately was on the road again. I ventured east to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where I had the opportunity to visit a lovely theater in the midst of another renovation. Manitowoc has a population of 33,000 people and is located just south of Green Bay, Wisconsin on the shores of lake Michigan.
Originally constructed as Ascher’s Capitol Theatre, the venue opened on June 16, 1921. It was a combination house, featuring both vaudeville and film. Brothers Arthur and John George were responsible for the endeavor, the two well known as owners of a local wholesale grocery store.
On July 17, 1921, the “Herald News” reported, “You will gasp with astonishment at what has been erected for your entertainment.” The article continued, “You will hardly recognize that you are in Manitowoc. It will remind you of big-city stuff. The lighting the effects, the music, the program, all will combine to force the conviction that George Bros. have spared no expense or effort to give Manitowoc and vicinity the most wonderful amusement palace in the entire northwest.”
The theater is now known as the Capitol Civic Theatre, or Capitol Civic Center. I toured the impressive building on August 2, 2019, with the executive director as my guide.
The auditorium is currently undergoing a 3.5 million dollar restoration that includes the complete replacement of all theater seating, slightly reducing the overall capacity to include larger seats. The space is lovely, has a beautiful flow and ample room for patrons during pre-show and intermission times. Renovation on this historic space began in earnest during 1987 after the Capitol Civic Center, Inc. was established in Manitowoc to focus on the old theater. Ron Kaminski spearheaded the endeavor with support from local individuals and groups, such as of members of the Masquers. The renovated space opened on October 30, 1987, complete with a new Clancy rigging system.
In addition to the original theater, there are many other spaces that take up a substantial footprint on the downtown block. The Capitol Civic Center, Inc. complex currently includes total seven individual buildings. The website reports, “The West Auditorium (renovated in 2013 with campaign support from The Manitowoc Company), is enhanced by the Capitol Grand Lobby (the Mertens Family Lobby/Kadow Movie Museum and the Salutz Family Lobby just off the Box Office). The annex houses the administrative offices, the technical department, the green room, and loading dock facilities. Capitol Studios, expansive storage, and a non-operational historic pub and boarding house complete the properties.
Five full-time and five part-time employees, as well as over 170 volunteers staff Capitol Civic Centre, Inc. Now a successful enterprise, the organization received the Chamber Manitowoc County’s Non-Profit of the Year award in both 2007 and 2014. Now noted as an “anchor for activity in the heart of downtown Manitowoc,” approximately 40,000 individuals attend performances each year.
The renovated auditorium and new gathering areas are lovely, each serving as a tribute to the past. So what about the material cultural and history beyond the architecture and renovated spaces? The history of the stage appears sporadically throughout the complex, such as the historic lighting board, now serving as a decorative element in the new lounge and bar area. There area also a couple of historic scenic pieces tucked away in storage areas.
Until recently, the original painted fire curtain completed the architectural ornamentation of the auditorium. Citing the expense of encapsulation to preserve this painted piece, the historic artifact was disposed of and replaced with a non-descript and modern fire curtain. This was the last painted element hanging above the stage. The executive director shared images of the painting on his computer. Although it was not the most ornate composition that I have encountered, it unified the auditorium space, completing the fourth wall of the theater. I have encountered many similar designs in the Performing Arts archives at the University of Minnesota libraries and elsewhere over the years. 1920s asbestos curtains often continue the auditorium’s color scheme and painted décor. Once this painted ornament is removed from the auditorium, the entire dynamic of the space shifts.
The executive director could not have been more accommodating during my visit, taking time to share historic images of painted scenes where once a prominent part of the stage house. We wandered into a storage area, so I could examine an extant wing and a tri-fold set piece. The painted wing composition was standard affair for a late 19th century tormentor, complete with painted drapery, ornate column and pedestal. The other set piece depicted a fancy interior with some lovely gold ornament. I was allowed to to photograph details of the painting techniques. Examples that I will use in the upcoming professional development work shop with Jenny Knott this month. We are again partnering to teach a painting class at CITT/ICTS Rendez-Vous Annual Conference. This is the Canadian Institute of Theatre Technology, similar to USITT. One week from today, I journey to White Horse, a remote town in the Yukon where the conference is being held this year.
After looking at the painted flats, I was guided up a long flight of stairs to see a historic drop. In a previous phone conversation, I was told that one rolled-up backdrop had survived and was neatly tucked away in an upper lever. I was not expecting to unroll anything, but wanted to see the wooden battens and quality of fabric, hoping to date the piece. In fact, there were three rolled up scenes, resting on a series of metal bars above a long hallway at the top of the stairs. In many ways, this is an ideal location for access to the drops, even though one would stop traffic if they were removed from the building.
The wooden battens and fabric of the pieces suggest that all three pre-date the venue and were likely delivered to another theater. It is possible that the scenes were refurbished and sold to the Capitol Theatre in 1921, but more likely the scenes were “adopted” over time, finding their way over from a nearby opera house. Manitowoc was home to several theaters over the years, including the Manitowoc Opera House, located on the 400 block of North Eighth Street.
Unfortunately, I was unable to verify that any of the rolled backdrops were those depicted in the historic photos. It was obvious that one was a foliage composition, either a border or leg drop, as the piece was once netted. In regard to the other two, it is impossible to identify any subject matter.
I would be curious to see the painted compositions and if there are any studio markings to identify origin. However, these historic artifacts remain very low on the theater’s list of priorities and I doubt they will be unrolled anytime soon. At least they are safely tucked away where they may be forgotten, inadvertently preserving this history.
To be continued…
