The Capitol Theater

Built in 1926, the Capitol Theater was originally both a movie and vaudeville theater, showing films released exclusively by Metro-Goldwin-Mayer. The theater’s opening night on January 21, 1926 was quite an occasion with more than 2,700 eastern Connecticut residents packing the first two houses of the evening. Over the years, the Capitol Theater was host to many films and vaudeville acts like unicycle troupes and comedians. Eventually, the theater abandoned its vaudeville shows and by the early 1930s was concentrating on films alone. By the early 1970s, dwindling numbers of patrons forced the old theater to close and its curtain came down for good in 1973. The old theater sat abandoned for nearly 30 years until EASTCONN proposed turning it into a part-day arts magnet high school. Willimantic-area and state leaders supported the idea. Following a rich, collaborative process, plans were finalized and renovation work on the old theater began in 2002.

ACT, also known as Arts at the Capitol Theater, officially opened on September 2, 2004. The electronic marquee read “Welcome ACT Students.” A $17 million grant from the State of Connecticut had transformed the abandoned 55,000-square-foot Capitol Theater into a state-of-the-art performing arts school. Located across the street from the U.S. Post Office and the Willimantic Public Library on Main Street, the art deco-themed facility now includes two fully equipped theaters, a black box theater, a set shop, audio/video editing suites, classrooms, dance studios, a costume shop, a mask and model-building room, office space, CAD (computer-aided drafting) equipment, elevators, a café and an art gallery. Unique art deco-style furniture, fixtures and carpet designs in period colors were carefully chosen and installed throughout the building, restoring the facility to its 1920s splendor.

Today, the Capitol Theater not only houses ACT, but also offers eastern Connecticut residents the opportunity to participate in a new arts initiative called the Capitol Theater Arts Academy. Open to residents of all ages, the Arts Academy offers a variety of courses in drama, technical theater, creative writing, television production and more. In addition, EASTCONN offers a full-day arts magnet high school school for high schoolers this fall. EASTCONN continues to seek innovative ways to open the Capitol Theater to all of eastern Connecticut’s residents and in doing so, to support downtown Willimantic.

[ACT home]