While Capital City Productions will take its final bow at Shikles Auditorium this month, it will continue making its footprint on the Mid-Missouri area at its new location on Wicker Lane.
CCP will move into 719 Wicker Lane, located behind IHOP on Missouri Boulevard in early 2020, CCP founder Rob Crouse announced during a Friday news conference. They will lease it from building owner Harold G. Butzer, Inc.
"My dream has always been that this would be an entity that would live long past me and help the future artists of Jefferson City to grow and to help us build a very special spot in the culture in Central Missouri," Crouse said. "Now, we have the chance to do something really significant."
The Jefferson City Housing Authority owns Shikles Auditorium, also known as the Shikles Recreation Center, at 1200 Linden Drive in Jefferson City. It leases it to the Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, which then subleases it to CCP.
The Housing Authority is selling the auditorium to Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, the social outreach arm of the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City. The two entities plan to close on the property after the current tenant's lease expires Dec. 31.
CCP hopes the Wicker Lane location will be fully operational in time for its first production of the regular season in February.
CCP plans to perform "The Bodyguard: The Musical" in February 2020, "Bonnie & Clyde: A New Musical" in April 2020, "Cats" in June 2020, "Billy Elliot: The Musical" in August 2020, "Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical" in October 2020 and "Elf: The Musical" in December 2020, according to the dinner theater's website.
With 15,500 square feet, the Wicker Lane building is almost triple the space of CCP's current home, Crouse said. It will allow for a larger stage and audience space, bathrooms, a lobby, dressing rooms, a shop, buffet room and kitchen.
The new theater will seat 288 guests, double the current occupancy, Crouse said. There will also be 16 smaller tables for couples.
There will be 5 feet of space between tables and two flat parking lots, addressing two regular concerns CCP hears from patrons, he added.
"I know we've had some people holding back on buying their season tickets, wondering where we're going to be. Well, hold back no more," Crouse said, eliciting chuckles from audience members. "We have an exciting new home, and we're ready to do this."
CCP will close the book on its 2019 season - and its time at Shikles Auditorium - with "Plaid Tidings" on Dec. 22.
Offering more to the community
With the goal of making "a much larger cultural footprint on Central Missouri," Crouse said, CCP will offer new programs and a new production series at the Wicker Lane location.
Starting in January, CCP will offer a new Spotz! On the Artist series, bringing Central Missouri professional entertainers and smaller musicals and plays to Jefferson City.
As part of the new series, "I Do! I Do!" will run in January 2020, "Dixie's Tupperware Pary" in March 2020, "Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll sings Judy Garland" in May 2020, "Freaky Friday The Musical" in July 2020, "Puffs" in September 2020 and "Give 'em Hell, Harry" in November 2020, according to informational packets at Friday's news conference.
CCP representatives are unsure where they will perform "I Do! I Do!" since the new Wicker Lane location may not be renovated yet.
Along with the new Spotz! On the Artist series, CCP will also launch a year-long children's theater program called Theo's Thespians.
"That is our next generation of artists coming up, and we want to play a large role in making that occur," Crouse said.
CCP's community outreach will even go beyond the Capital City. Having storage space at 719 Wicker Lane means CCP can now store its props and costumes properly, as well as rent them to other theater groups. For example, CCP has already arranged to rent the carriage it used in its production of "Cinderella" earlier this year to six other theater groups, Crouse said.
CCP will also rent the theater space for wedding receptions, luncheons and other events, he said.
Finding the right fit
CCP representatives thought the Shikles Auditorium would be their forever home, so they were surprised when the Housing Authority announced it was considering selling the auditorium more than a year ago, Crouse said.
When the Housing Authority, acting as the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority, didn't accept CCP's redevelopment proposal to remain in the auditorium earlier this year, CCP representatives scrambled to find a new home for the dinner theater.
"As it turns out, this has been a blessing in disguise because our shows have been sold out, and basically we have outgrown the space that we have," Crouse said. "So, the emergency circumstance called upon so many great people to help us find a great space."
CCP originally had its eyes on Capital Mall as its new home, signing a non-binding letter of intent in April with Farmer Holding Company, which owns the mall. While the mall offered great visibility, Crouse said, the location did not meet all of the dinner theater's criteria, much like many other spaces CCP representatives looked at.
CCP's criteria seemed simple at first - find a space that allows for growth and addresses patrons' concerns about Shikles Auditorium. Finding properties that met those criteria, along with the dinner theater's needs, proved difficult.
"Many of the sites we looked at had poles that would have been in the middle of the theater or ceilings that were low like what we started out with 29 years ago at the Ramada (Inn), inadequate parking, lots of different considerations to get to the point where we are today," Crouse said.
Part of the reason CCP gravitated toward 719 Wicker Lane is "it's basically an empty canvas" and provides more than enough space for the dinner theater, he said.
Steven Kretzer has been performing with CCP since 2008 and is excited to continue at the new location. He said he is most excited about the amount of space at the Wicker Lane location.
The backstage area at Shikles Auditorium is small, so it can be cramped when CCP performs large productions like "Cinderella" or "Newsies," Kretzer said. It can also be inconvenient scheduling rehearsals around set building in the auditorium. There's also the cleaning aspect that takes up a significant chunk of time, he added.
"Every show, we have to spend the last couple of days where we really need to be focusing on our performance getting the building in shape and cleaned up," he said. "To have designated performance space around the clock all year, that's just going to allow us to focus that much better on our performance."
Fundraising for a future
While the Wicker Lane location has several amenities, CCP will have to do some renovation work before moving into the building.
The CCP fundraising committee hopes to raise $150,000 for renovations to the building, committee chair Jackie Wood said.
CCP must bring the building up to code by adding exit doors and possibly updating the electric system, Wood said. The committee also wants to enlarge the bathrooms, make improvements to the building's facade and purchase an air conditioning unit for the building, she added.
CCP created a separate building account and is asking the community to donate. The funds in the building account will only go toward renovations and will not be used for daily operational expenses, Crouse said.
Those who want to donate to CCP, which is a 501(c)(3), can make checks payable to Capital City Productions with a reference to the building fund.
If they want to receive tax letters, donors should send donations to 2208 Missouri Blvd. Suite 102, CCP representatives said. If they do not want tax letters, they can send the donations to Central Bank, representatives added.
The dinner theater will host several fundraisers in the coming months, with two already scheduled for January.
CCP will have the first from 5-6:30 p.m. Jan. 9 at Central Bank, 111 E. Miller St. Invitations will be sent through email, Wood said.
On Jan. 12, a couple of members of the CCP fundraising committee will host two events, from 2-3 p.m. and 4-5 p.m., at their homes. Those invitations will be sent through mail, Wood said.
Founded in 1991 under the name Capital City Players, CCP has helped more than 48 nonprofits and offers several programs and camps to the community, Crouse said.