This week at CAPA, music from Green Day’s American Idiot invades the Palace Theatre. Promising to be a high-octane “punk-rock opera,” there are emotional high notes and low notes throughout, portrayed almost completely through song and movement – challenging the cast to bring Green Day’s music to life sans dialogue! We wanted to share some cast insights (pulled from various articles and reviews) with you before you see the show… feel free to follow the links for the full articles.

On finding your way: Alex Nee, the actor playing Johnny in the national tour, explains his character in relation to himself – “I feel like I’m going through the same transition period as Johnny. I’m 21 years old. I’m realizing I can’t always keep acting like a kid, and I’m trying to figure out what it means to grow up. Each character is struggling to find their place in the world. It’s OK to fail. We’re all just trying to figure out how to be a human being.” - Read the full article!

On the energy behind the show: Ensemble cast member Dustin Harris Smith explained to Dayton’s MostMetro.com, “‘There’s a lot of belting and screaming, and we do it healthily and have to take care of our voices, but every now and then someone has to take a performance off just based on the wear and tear of the show. There are a few people in the company who have never called out, and,’ he added with a laugh, ‘there is something very wrong with them, and they are freaks.’” Read the full article!

Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day’s lead singer) on seeing Green Day’s music come to life: “We’ve always thought that somehow there should be some sort of stage version because that’s what we were thinking in our heads. The musical arrangements that Tom Kitt did… it’s amazing. And their energy… it’s just inspiring.” Watch a clip of the story of American Idiot.

On the “punk-rock opera” and musical theatre: “We now live in an age where the people who grew up with rock music are outnumbering the people who didn’t,” Michael Mayer, director and co-author of American Idiot, says. “And I feel that the future of musical theater kind of depends on our ability to embrace and pull together the popular music of the day – as has been Broadway tradition since the beginning – and theater craft.” Read the full article!

Green Day’s American Idiot runs through this Sunday, March 24. Tickets are still available online and through the CAPA Ticket Center (614-469-0939)!

American Idiot contains adult content and strong language.

CAPA has just opened a brand new ticket center as a tool to serve you better. Located just a few feet from its previous location, the new-and-improved CAPA Ticket Center now occupies the former Ohio Theatre gift shop space, so we have moved from the east side of the Ohio Theatre marquee to the west side. While the sleek, modern design simply looks AMAZING, the redesign of the space was custom-made for just one thing—better serving you!

Features of the new CAPA Ticket Center:

- We have increased our customer service stations from two to five (one of which is wheelchair accessible) and equipped each station with a monitor on a swivel arm. Now we can simply turn the monitor to face you, making it comfortable for you to view and choose available seats from a venue’s seating chart.

- Monitors in the front window and behind the counter will make sure you know about all the great events coming to CAPA venues.

- While you’re there, check out the autographed Ohio Theatre stage door on display in the lobby. Joe Worman, Ohio Theatre stage manager from 1955-95, asked all the big stars who performed at the theatre to sign the stage door, amassing an impressive autograph collection spanning seven doors. Now you can check them out one at a time as we periodically rotate them into the space.

It’s all about YOU, Columbus! So, come check us out!

Every time I put on a frilly dress—especially one with excellent twirling capability—somewhere, in the back of my mind, Anita’s voice loudly sings, “I feel pretty! Oh! So Pretty!”. And as I hop around the room, pretending like I a have the coordination for Broadway choreography, I think about West Side Story and imagine I’m a part of it.

West Side Story is the one musical of which I have somehow become an amateur expert. I studied it in school, have heard it sung by friends (in and out of key) in ranges from soprano, alto, tenor—and once falsetto, and had the dancing broken down by a sister in love with its motion and color.

This year, Jessica Goldman, Courtney Mignery and Chad Readler are planning “Tonight, Tonight! A Fashionably Late Event” for April 19^th. The event, an annual fundraiser held in conjunction with the 2012 CAPA Gala, will have hors d’oeuvres and cocktails and later, will whisk attendees to the 8pm production of Broadway Columbus’ West Side Story.

Join us for an evening of singing, dancing and musical fighting action!

And you know, I will definitely be there, twirling dress and all!

Thursday, April 19^th, 2012 @ 6:30PM – 10:30PM

The Ohio Theatre

$75 each/$140 per couple

$55 each/$100 per couple

*Prices differ based on seat location for West Side Story tickets)

To purchase tickets, call the CAPA Ticket Office (614-469-0939).

Dayna Brownfield
Advancement Intern

Since I can remember, my grandmother would pull me close and tell me stories about when she and my grandfather moved to Columbus shortly after they were married. He attended college while she worked downtown, walking the same streets I do today. Most vividly, I recall her excitement as she detailed walking down State Street, looking in the shop windows to see what was playing at the Ohio Theatre.

“Your grandfather and I, we love the theatre,” she said. “And he always loved coming into the city and seeing a movie there when we were young. Although, I made sure to pick something without singing. I know he loves to sing, and I love him, but after a while, that’s just too much singing.”

The image of the two of them, young and laughing as they walk into the Ohio, always seems most vibrant around the holidays. With the holiday season in full swing, I think of all the new memories waiting to be made by similar couples at the Ohio.

When you give CAPA gift certificates, you not only make it possible for your loved ones to enjoy a night of spectacular entertainment, but to take many trips down memory lane for years to come.

CAPA gift certificates can be purchased in any amount above $5 and may be used to purchase tickets to any show in a CAPA venue. Order your gift certificate today by calling 614-469-0939 or visiting the CAPA Ticket Office at 39 East State Street.

Dayna Brownfield
Advancement Intern

By Anna Steffen, Tour Coordinator

Now that I have your attention, did you know that when the Ohio Theatre first opened in 1928 as Loew’s Ohio Theatre, you could see a movie for as little as 25 cents? Back in those days, going to see the “talkies” was a special occasion, and the movie “palaces” were glamorous, opulent, and “ritzy.”

The CAPA Summer Movie Series is back for another season of action, adventure, music, laughter, and romance. Additionally, we will be offering FREE public tours of the Ohio Theatre on Saturday, June 25; Saturday, July 16; and Saturday, August 13, at 4:30pm each day.

You’ll learn the rich history behind the Official Theatre for the State of Ohio as our docents guide you thru this “palace for the average man,” and hear about the many famous names that have graced her stage or screen, including Bob Hope, Jean Harlow, Elizabeth Taylor, Victor Borge, and Judy Garland.

The Ohio Theatre’s Spanish-Baroque architecture includes two elaborate organ chambers, velvet seats, gold-leaf detailing, a hand-painted ceiling, and a 2.5 ton grand chandelier. Can you spot the “flying horses” in the auditorium? (Hint: look up!) You’ll also see many of the theatre’s original furnishings including the King and Queen’s chairs, ornate drinking fountains, and the restored Spanish galleon, Our Delicate Lady.

The highlight of your tour will most certainly be a demonstration of the Ohio Theatre’s famous “Mighty Morton” organ by CAPA Summer Movie Series’ featured organist, Clark Wilson (and David Fleisher on June 25). He’ll introduce you to the Morton with a few stories of its history and treat you to some classic Ohio tunes.

So come inside, get out of the heat, and enjoy one of Ohio’s most treasured and most beautiful historical landmarks!

Tours are free, but reservations are required and space is limited. To make a reservation, click on one of the following links or call 614.719.6743. Please specify preferred date. Tours do include stairs.

June 25 Ohio Theatre Tour – Click here to register
July 16 Ohio Theatre Tour – Click here to register
August 13 Ohio Theatre Tour – Click here to register

(Ed. note: Our guest blogger this week is Joe Moriarty, a native of Columbus, Ohio who has been dancing with Riverdance since 1997. He has graciously decided to share his story with the CAPA.com blog, and we appreciate his insight into the Irish dancing phenomenon! RIVERDANCE will be in town Friday, February 18 through Sunday, February 20 – to buy tickets, call 614-469-0939, visit the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office, or click here to order online from Ticketmaster. )

My name is Joe Moriarty and I’m from Columbus, Ohio. I’m a principal dancer with the touring show Riverdance. I’ve been touring with the show since 1997 and here’s how I got started.

Growing up in a large Irish-American family it seemed only natural to take up Irish Traditional Dancing. I started dancing at the relatively late age eight at the Richens-Timm Academy of Irish Dance. By the time I was twelve I had progressed to the Championship level and within a few years I had won regional and national titles. I competed at the World Championships on three occasions and at my last competition I placed in the top five.

It was at this point that I realized I might be able to make a career out of dancing. I auditioned for Riverdance in November of 1996. The audition was being held in Chicago. I was told that I was to young to audition, but I thought, what the heck, I’ll go anyways. When I arrived to Chicago they had decided to let me audition after making the six hour journey. I guess you could say the, rest is history. The audition went so well that within the next few weeks I received a letter stating that the next position would be mine. A position became available at the end of the upcoming summer.

It was August of 1997 when I joined the tour. I had just finished my sophomore year in high school, so of course my parents were reluctant to let me leave school. On the other hand they knew how much it meant to me, so they gave me their blessing and allowed me to join the show.

I started performing the Male Principal Role in October of 1998. At eighteen I was, and still am, the youngest male to perform the role to date. I have toured all over Europe, Scandinavia, Ireland, The UK, Japan, China, Australia, Mexico, Malaysia, Russia, Canada and The States. My highlights include starring on Broadway, performing in the People’s Hall of China and the Kremlin State Palace, as well as performances for the Empress of Japan and the President of Ireland.

I’m very thankful to Riverdance for all the opportunities it has given me over the years. I have been able to travel the world, see incredible places, meet my amazing wife as well as many others, while doing what I love to do. I am extremely excited about coming home to Columbus to perform for my family, friends and the central Ohio community. Come and enjoy Riverdance at the Palace Theatre Friday, February 18th through Saturday, February 20th!

by Dustin Grovemiller, Donor Relations Manager

We tend to think of theatres as vibrant homes for the performing arts, full of life and energy. But after the people go home and the lights are turned off, theatres become places of shadows and noises lurking from unseen corners. Architecture that glows with beauty by day becomes twisted and mysterious by night. CAPA maintains four theatres here in Columbus that are between the ages of 82 and 104 years old. I have been in all of them in late at night at one point or another, long after the crowds have gone home and everything is covered by a deep, still hush. It’s profoundly creepy.

Theatres have long been homes for the supernatural, which is why a single light—a ghost light—is always left burning on stage when the rest of the theatre is dark. There are many superstitions surrounding the ghost light, from the idea that it’s there to appease spirits who want to take the stage and perform when nobody else is around, to those that say the ghost light is there to actually keep ghosts at bay and to prevent them from haunting the theatre. Sometimes the ghosts don’t care though, and they take up residence anyhow. Regardless of being welcome or not, theatre ghosts are real. Be it because of unfinished business, the untimely death of an audience member, or even from a séance gone wrong, there are many different ways that a paranormal presence can come to call a theatre home.

This year, in the spirit of the spookier side of maintaining these historic houses of the arts, CAPA is conjuring up another ghost from the past. Years ago, Ohio Theatre organist Dennis James used to hold a Halloween event called the “Spookout,” where crowds of folks from all around central Ohio would gather at the Ohio for a thrilling evening of spook-tacular organ music, a movie showing, and other fun. We’re bringing the event back to life, although it’s going to come back a little different than it was before. (And isn’t that always the case when you bring something back to life?)

Please join us for CAPA’s “Ghost Light” Movie Night at the Ohio Theatre on Saturday, October 30. We’ve got a fun evening planned around a screening of the classic House on Haunted Hill (the 1959 with Vincent Price) including tours, a costume contest, and music by organist David Fleisher. Check out the Ghost Light Movie Night page at capa.com for more details, and we hope to see you there!