Librarians love a good story! So, when WCPL began managing the Capitol, a number of us on staff became more interested in learning details about the life of the historic building we moved into. As part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2021, when doors were reopened as a library-managed venue, we presented a short film, produced by library staff and narrated by Barb Deeb, about the building’s history. Its timing was perfect, since that year was the 100th anniversary of there being an operating movie theater on this site. Some sources asserted that the building hosted vaudeville shows prior to that time, which opened up a host of questions about what other businesses had been in operation here, what connections could be verified from original sources, and how much more there might be to learn.
When an idea was pitched to discuss partnership opportunities with Western Kentucky University to help fill in some of the blanks, the History Department’s Dr. Katie McClurkin quickly became an enthusiastic supporter! This semester, under her leadership, students in her Guided Internship course are in the process of working on projects to research and illuminate the Capitol’s history.
McClurkin explained the process, “Students have two major components to their project. First, they are working on establishing a well-researched timeline of The Capitol, what was there before, and how it’s been used during the last 130 years. Then students are going to take all that information and create a publicly-accessible walking tour of the building. The tour will highlight the different eras of The Capitol history as it intersects with entertainment, politics, and the ever-changing city of Bowling Green.”
She said students are already hard at work in the archives, using newspapers, old show posters, maps, advertisements, material culture, and more to interpret the theater’s history. “The Capitol has a long history in Bowling Green, and we initially found more myths than facts about the space. Students are exploring why these myths form, who they serve, and how the communal memory around the theater changes the way people engage with the space.”
At the end of the semester, students will present a walking tour, timeline, and an extensive bibliography, which will ultimately be shared with the community at large. “We hope that our work this semester will help create the groundwork for future community engagement and an oral history project where folks can share their own memories and experiences at The Capitol,” concluded McClurkin.
Moving from stories of the past to one of the present, the Capitol stage recently played host for the first time to a library stage production put on by the Teen Theatre Intensive. This series of programs open to students ages 12 to 17 launched in January and met weekly for two months. Their eight-week dive into the world of live theater was directed by WCPL’s Sam Treece with the assistance of Capitol Manager Magnolia Gramling.
About the series, Treece reported, “Each week, our group of excellent and eager teens got together and learned how skills developed while producing theater can also translate to life skills. We worked on activities like public speaking, hand sewing, painting, and leadership then concluded the series performing an abridged production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream February 29. Our group worked together amazingly to achieve a wonderful show!”
Having experienced Capitol stage productions in her youth, Gramling was a big supporter of the Teen Theatre Intensive. “I remember doing theater on this stage and how important it was to me to be a part of the Capitol Arts Youth Theater. I was able to take lessons learned there into other areas of my life, and it was exciting to see it happening again for this group of students.”
While this opportunity has passed, others will be offered in the future. Plans are in the works for a summer theater camp, in partnership with Fountain Square Players, like the one offered in 2023.
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-by Ashley Fowlkes
