Capitol Hill Arts Center
Encyclopedia
Capitol Hill Arts Center, also known by its acronym CHAC , was a performing arts center located in the Capitol Hill
neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. CHAC operated two performance spaces in the building, most widely known for its theatre.
The center was founded in 2002 by Matthew Kwatinetz. CHAC was acknowledged as producing some of the most exciting theatre in Seattle: from Bertolt Brecht
's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Clifford Odets
' Waiting for Lefty to the Pacific Northwest
premiere of Dario Fo
's Archangels Don't Play Pinball.
On the evening of Friday, March 24, 2006, CHAC was the venue of a zombie
-themed rave
called "Better Off Undead". Attendees of an afterparty after that rave were the victims of the Capitol Hill massacre
. By nearly all accounts, CHAC itself had excellent security at the rave, and the only connection of the massacre to the rave was that the perpetrator and the victims attended the rave, and that one of the victims invited the perpetrator to the afterparty.
CHAC closed in 2007.
Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington
Capitol Hill is the most densely populated residential district in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the center of the city's gay and counterculture communities, and is one of the city's most prominent nightlife and entertainment districts....
neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. CHAC operated two performance spaces in the building, most widely known for its theatre.
The center was founded in 2002 by Matthew Kwatinetz. CHAC was acknowledged as producing some of the most exciting theatre in Seattle: from Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht
Bertolt Brecht was a German poet, playwright, and theatre director.An influential theatre practitioner of the 20th century, Brecht made equally significant contributions to dramaturgy and theatrical production, the latter particularly through the seismic impact of the tours undertaken by the...
's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui and Clifford Odets
Clifford Odets
Clifford Odets was an American playwright, screenwriter, socialist, and social protester.-Early life:Odets was born in Philadelphia to Romanian- and Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Louis Odets and Esther Geisinger, and raised in Philadelphia and the Bronx, New York. He dropped out of high...
' Waiting for Lefty to the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
premiere of Dario Fo
Dario Fo
Dario Fo is an Italian satirist, playwright, theater director, actor and composer. His dramatic work employs comedic methods of the ancient Italian commedia dell'arte, a theatrical style popular with the working classes. He currently owns and operates a theatre company with his wife, actress...
's Archangels Don't Play Pinball.
On the evening of Friday, March 24, 2006, CHAC was the venue of a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
-themed rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
called "Better Off Undead". Attendees of an afterparty after that rave were the victims of the Capitol Hill massacre
Capitol Hill massacre
The Capitol Hill massacre was a mass murder committed by 28-year-old Kyle Aaron Huff in the southeast part of Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. On the morning of Saturday, March 25, 2006, Huff entered a rave afterparty and opened fire, killing six and wounding two. He then killed himself as...
. By nearly all accounts, CHAC itself had excellent security at the rave, and the only connection of the massacre to the rave was that the perpetrator and the victims attended the rave, and that one of the victims invited the perpetrator to the afterparty.
CHAC closed in 2007.