Jim Walker is the artistic/managing director at the Aberdeen Community Theatre.
The Capitol Theatre on Aberdeen's Main Street was built in 1926 to be one of the area's premiere show palaces, showing movies on a regular basis until 1990. The theater was acquired in 1992 by Aberdeen Community Theatre, and renovations began to house live theater. In 2007, ACT formed a subsidiary, Capitol Cinema, to bring film back to the historic movie house.
Capitol Cinema shows current Hollywood movies in the Capitol Theatre at 7:30 p.m. nightly from December into March. Tickets to the movies are $8 and are available at the theater at 7 p.m. Capitol Cinema is currently screening “The Sessions.” Typically, a new movie opens every Friday. Capitol Cinema advertises its current movies playing in the American News, online at CapitolCinema.net and on the Capitol Cinema Facebook page.
It is not a typical movie theater. Over the last six years, independent, documentary, classics and first-run films have all been shown at the downtown movie theater. Capitol Cinema makes an effort to screen films that would not be shown elsewhere in the region. This gives area residents an opportunity to see current films on the big screen without having to travel long distances. The cinema has brought many Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated films to the area, such as “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Precious” and “The King's Speech.”
Capitol Cinema is also home to many popular film festivals in Aberdeen. The South Dakota Film Festival is a unique annual event for filmmakers and film lovers to gather, mingle with Hollywood film makers and discuss movies. Fischgaard Short Film Project's mission is to motivate independent filmmakers and to enhance film as art in South Dakota. Global Lens screens 10 foreign films because no medium has been as effective at communicating the range and diversity of the world's cultures as the cinematic arts. These film festivals are held annually under the auspices of Capitol Cinema and call the Capitol Theatre home.
However, film at Capitol Cinema is exactly that — film. Currently, all of the film festivals at the Capitol require digital projection equipment, which must be rented for each event. Capitol Cinema currently shows Hollywood movies in 35mm film format, a dying medium. Many movie companies are hoping to become completely digital by the end of 2013, making the production of movies on 35mm film obsolete.
We are raising funds to purchase a digital projector, so movies can continue to be screened at the Capitol Theatre well into the future. The specialized digital projection and sound equipment necessary to screen first run films in the Capitol's main theater is budgeted at approximately $80,000.
Aberdeen Community Theatre and Capitol Cinema have plans to renovate current storage space in the former JC Penney building into a 90-seat, stadium-style theater. This smaller theater would be used to show movies year-round and would allow for smaller theatrical productions.
If you would like more information on Capitol Cinema, please contact the theater at 605-226-5494 or CapitolCinema@nvc.net. For current movies and show times, see the CapitolCinema.net or find Capitol Cinema on Facebook.
