Columbus Association for the Performing Arts

The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) is a nonprofit arts-management organization headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. It was established in 1969 by Robert Karlsberger, Lawrence L. Fisher, Jean Whallon, and Scott Whitlock in response to the threatened demolition of the Ohio Theatre, a 1928 movie palace in downtown Columbus. The founders organized a preservation effort, raised money, and helped return the building to use as a performing-arts venue. That project became the basis for CAPA’s long-term model: combining historic-preservation work with professional theater management, event presentation, venue operations, and administrative support for cultural organizations. The Ohio Theatre remains central to CAPA’s identity and operations. After its initial success there, the organization expanded its stewardship of Columbus venues. It assumed ownership and operation of the Palace Theatre in the early 1990s and acquired the Southern Theatre in 1998, undertaking a substantial rebuilding and restoration of the nineteenth-century venue. CAPA also took on management responsibilities for the Capitol Theatre complex for the State of Ohio. These activities established the organization as a major civic operator of performing-arts infrastructure rather than simply a presenter of individual productions. CAPA’s work has also extended beyond Columbus. It managed the Chicago Theatre from 1998 through 2003 and began operating the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, in 2001. In Ohio, it entered a five-year agreement in 2009 to oversee operations of Toledo’s Valentine Theatre, a historic venue used by numerous local performing-arts groups. CAPA’s theater-management portfolio has therefore included both direct stewardship and contracted operational management, depending on the needs of each venue and community. Preservation and neighborhood-based cultural development are additional elements of CAPA’s remit. The organization oversaw a $13.5 million renovation of Columbus’s Lincoln Theatre, completed in 2009, and was selected to operate the renovated venue as a community arts center in the King-Lincoln neighborhood. The project involved collaboration with ten local arts organizations and was intended to provide a varied program of performances and cultural activity. Beyond theaters, CAPA has provided administrative or operational support to Columbus cultural institutions, including Franklin Park Conservatory, Opera Columbus, and the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio, according to the organization’s documented activities. Its governance is described as being conducted by an independent board of directors. CAPA is best understood as a civic cultural-services organization: its public-facing value lies in maintaining accessible performance spaces, preserving historic buildings, coordinating arts programming, and supplying management expertise to nonprofit cultural institutions. Chad Whittington has served as president and chief executive officer since 2017, following the tenure of William B. “Bill” Conner Jr., who died in 2016.

CAPA was formed in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio, after civic and arts leaders organized to prevent the demolition of the Ohio Theatre. The threatened building was a 1928 movie palace whose survival depended on a coordinated preservation and fundraising campaign. Robert Karlsberger, Lawrence L. Fisher, Jean Whallon, and Scott Whitlock were identified as the organization’s founders. Their effort succeeded in preserving the theater and adapting it for live performance, establishing the operating philosophy that would define CAPA: historic venues could be protected by making them active, financially viable cultural facilities. The organization’s responsibilities broadened after the Ohio Theatre project. In the early 1990s, CAPA took over ownership and operations of the Palace Theatre in Columbus. In 1998, it purchased the Southern Theatre and carried out a comprehensive rebuilding and restoration of the historic venue, originally dating from the 1890s. CAPA also assumed management of the Capitol Theatre complex for the State of Ohio. These additions gave the organization a substantial role in Columbus’s performing-arts infrastructure and demonstrated its capacity to manage different ownership and governance arrangements. CAPA later applied its expertise outside its home city. It managed the Chicago Theatre from 1998 to 2003 and took over operations of the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, in 2001. In Ohio, the organization expanded its reach to Toledo when the Toledo Cultural Arts Center entered a five-year agreement with CAPA in 2009 for management of the Valentine Theatre. The venue had recently undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation and served a broad group of Toledo performing-arts organizations, including the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. Community redevelopment became particularly visible in CAPA’s work on the Lincoln Theatre. In 2009, the organization oversaw a $13.5 million renovation of the Columbus venue in the historic King-Lincoln neighborhood. CAPA was also selected to operate the theater after renovation, working with ten local arts organizations to create a varied schedule for the new community arts center. This project connected preservation with neighborhood cultural development and broadened CAPA’s role beyond downtown landmark theaters. CAPA’s documented activities also include administrative oversight or support for other Columbus nonprofit cultural institutions, including Franklin Park Conservatory, Opera Columbus, and the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio. The organization is governed by an independent board of directors and maintains its main offices in the Ohio Theatre building. William B. Conner Jr. served as president and CEO until his death from cancer in October 2016. Chad Whittington became president and CEO in 2017. CAPA’s recorded history presents it as a nonprofit cultural operator whose principal assets are venue-management expertise, preservation experience, and partnerships with local arts organizations.

• 2009

  Lincoln Theatre renovation is completed

  [1]Columbus Association for the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  CAPA oversees a $13.5 million renovation and prepares to operate the Lincoln Theatre as a community arts center.

• 2009

  Valentine Theatre management agreement

  [1]Columbus Association for the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  CAPA enters a five-year agreement to oversee operations of Toledo’s historic Valentine Theatre.

• 2001

  Shubert Theatre operations begin

  [1]Columbus Association for the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  CAPA takes over operations of the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut.

• 1998

  Southern Theatre is acquired and restored

  [1]Columbus Association for the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  CAPA purchases the historic Southern Theatre and undertakes a complete rebuilding and restoration.

• 1998

  Chicago Theatre management begins

  [1]Columbus Association for the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  CAPA begins managing the Chicago Theatre, a responsibility it holds through 2003.

• 1990

  CAPA takes over the Palace Theatre

  [1]Columbus Association for the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  In the early 1990s, CAPA assumes ownership and operations of Columbus’s Palace Theatre.

• 1969

  CAPA is founded to save the Ohio Theatre

  [1]Columbus Association for the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Karlsberger, Lawrence L. Fisher, Jean Whallon, and Scott Whitlock establish CAPA to raise funds and prevent the demolition of the Ohio Theatre.

A nonprofit civic arts institution positioned at the intersection of historic-preservation, theater management, cultural programming, and community development. CAPA differentiates itself through long-term stewardship of landmark venues and operational support for nonprofit performing-arts organizations.

• Historic theater operation · 1969

  Ohio Theatre

  The Ohio Theatre is CAPA’s founding preservation project and a central operating venue. CAPA was created to save the 1928 movie palace from demolition and restore it for performing-arts use. The theater represents the organization’s core model of combining architectural preservation with ongoing cultural programming.

• Historic theater operation · 1990

  Palace Theatre

  CAPA assumed ownership and operations of the Palace Theatre in the early 1990s. The venue expanded the organization’s Columbus portfolio and reinforced its role as a manager of major historic performance spaces.

• Theater restoration and operation · 1998

  Southern Theatre

  CAPA purchased the Southern Theatre in 1998 and carried out a complete rebuilding and restoration of the historic venue, originally dating from the 1890s. Its stewardship combines capital-project management with ongoing operation as a performing-arts space.

• Community arts-center operation · 2009

  Lincoln Theatre

  The Lincoln Theatre was renovated under CAPA oversight and operated as a community arts center in Columbus’s King-Lincoln neighborhood. The project involved collaboration with ten local arts organizations and was intended to provide varied cultural programming.

• Arts-management services

  Venue and cultural-organization management services

  CAPA provides management and administrative capabilities for theaters and nonprofit cultural organizations. Documented supported institutions include the Capitol Theatre complex, Franklin Park Conservatory, Opera Columbus, and the Contemporary Theatre of Ohio.

• 2009Lincoln Theatre community arts-center redevelopment

  Columbus, Ohio

  CAPA coordinated the renovation and planned operation of the Lincoln Theatre in the King-Lincoln neighborhood, working with ten local arts organizations to develop a broad event program.

  Outcome. The renovated venue was positioned as a community arts center serving the neighborhood and the wider Columbus arts community.

  Source
• 1969Save the Ohio Theatre

  Columbus, Ohio

  CAPA’s founding fundraising and preservation campaign sought to prevent the demolition of the Ohio Theatre and convert the former movie palace into a performing-arts center.

  Outcome. The theater was preserved and became the foundation of CAPA’s operating and preservation activities.

  Source

• 2009

  Operate the renovated Lincoln Theatre as a community arts centerStrategy

  Background

  The Lincoln Theatre renovation was part of cultural and neighborhood redevelopment in Columbus’s historic King-Lincoln area.

  Action taken

  CAPA oversaw the $13.5 million renovation and agreed to operate the venue in collaboration with ten local arts organizations.

  Aftermath

  The theater was prepared to host a varied schedule of performances and community arts activity.

  Renovation cost. $13.5 million (2009)

  Source

• 2009

  Take on Valentine Theatre operationsStrategy

  Background

  The Toledo Cultural Arts Center sought an operating arrangement for the recently renovated Valentine Theatre, a venue used by numerous local performing-arts organizations.

  Action taken

  CAPA entered a five-year agreement to oversee the theater’s operations.

  Aftermath

  CAPA extended its venue-management work beyond Columbus to Toledo.

  Source

• 1998

  Expand from Ohio Theatre stewardship into a multi-venue portfolioStrategy

  Background

  After establishing its preservation and operating model at the Ohio Theatre, CAPA broadened its Columbus responsibilities and acquired the Southern Theatre while also managing other theater properties.

  Action taken

  CAPA purchased and rebuilt the Southern Theatre and expanded its management role to venues including the Palace Theatre and Capitol Theatre complex.

  Aftermath

  The organization became a broader theater-management and cultural-infrastructure operator in Columbus.

  Source

1. 1Columbus Association for the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2CAPA official websitecapa.com