The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) is non-profit arts and theater management organization based in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

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History

CAPA was formed in 1969 by Robert Karlsberger, Lawrence L. Fisher, Scott Whitlock and other community leaders to raise money to save the Ohio Theatre, a 1928 movie palace

Movie palace

A movie palace is a term used to refer to the large, elaborately decorated movie theaters built between the 1910s and the 1940s. The late 1920s saw the peak of the movie palace, with hundreds opened every year between 1925 and 1930.There are three building types in particular which can be subsumed...

, from demolition and revive it for use as a performing arts center.

CAPA's initial success in restoring and operating the Ohio has led over the years to a great expansion of its activities. It took over ownership and operations of the Palace Theatre

Palace Theatre (Columbus, Ohio)

The Palace Theatre is a 2,827-seat restored movie palace located at 34 W. Broad Street in Columbus Ohio. It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb and was built in 1926 as a part of the American Insurance Union Citadel complex. Today the theater functions as a multi-use performing arts venue...

 in the early 1990s. In 1998 it purchased and completely rebuilt and restored the historic 1890s Southern Theatre. Later CAPA took over management of Columbus's Capitol Theater complex for the State of Ohio.

Outside of Columbus, CAPA managed the historic Chicago Theatre

Chicago Theatre

The Chicago Theatre, originally known as the Balaban and Katz Chicago Theatre, is a landmark theater located on North State Street in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. Built in 1921, the Chicago Theatre was the flagship for the Balaban and Katz group of theaters run by A. J. Balaban, his brother...

 from 1998 to 2003, and took over operations of the Shubert Theatre

Shubert Theatre (New Haven)

The Shubert Theatre is a 1600-seat theatre located at 247 College Street in New Haven, Connecticut. Originally opened in 1914, it was designed by Albert Swazey, a New York architect and built by the H.E. Murdock Construction Company...

 in New Haven, Connecticut in 2001.

CAPA was responsible for overseeing the 2009 $13.5 million renovation of the Lincoln Theatre

Lincoln Theatre (Columbus, Ohio)

The Lincoln Theatre is a 582-seat performing arts venue located at 769 E. Long Street in the King-Lincoln neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio.The theater is owned by the City of Columbus under the auspices of the Lincoln Theatre Association...

 in Columbus's historic King-Lincoln neighborhood. CAPA will also operate that theater, combining with ten local arts organizations to provide a varied slate of events for the new community arts center.

The most recent addition to the list of theaters operated by CAPA is the Valentine Theatre in Toledo, Ohio

Toledo, Ohio

Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...

. On June 22, 2009 the Toledo Cultural Arts Center announced that they had initiated a five year agreement with CAPA to oversee operations of the 114-year old landmark theater. Recently the recipient of a multi-million dollar renovation, the theater is home to forty of Toledo's performing arts groups, including the Toledo Symphony Orchestra

Toledo Symphony Orchestra

Toledo Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra in Toledo, Ohio. It's the biggest "musical resource for the region". They perform in Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana...

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In addition to operating theaters, CAPA oversees administrative operations for the Columbus non-profit cultural groups Franklin Park Conservatory

Franklin Park Conservatory

The Franklin Park Conservatory is a botanical garden and conservatory located in Columbus, Ohio. It is open daily and an admission fee is charged. Originally built in 1895, the Conservatory is on the National Register of Historic Places...

, Opera Columbus, Contemporary American Theatre Company

Contemporary American Theatre Company

CATCO is a regional professional theatre company in Columbus, Ohio. Operating under an Actors' Equity SPT 6+ contract, it produces a five- to six-show season that commonly runs from October through June and consists of contemporary, classic, and new works.In January 1985, founding artistic...

and Phoenix Theatre for Children.

CAPA is a non-profit organization overseen by an independent board of directors. Its main offices are located in the Ohio Theatre building at 55 E. State St and the President & CEO is William B. Conner, Jr.