Fonds name:
Capitol Theatre
Accession number:
S-291 to S-328
Lang. of recordings:
English
IR:
Summaries of interviews
Description:
Interviews conducted in 1980 under a contract of the Saskatchewan
Archives Board. The historical value of a building rests not
only with its physical presence but also in the memories and
images held in the minds of those who know the building.
Believing this, Michael Taft and Natalie Kishchuk began their
oral history project shortly after the Capitol Theatre, Saskatoon
had been demolished in 1979. Though they couldn't save the
building, they were able to preserve invaluable memories and
impressions of the theatre before these too had faded away.
The project was twofold. As well as recording the reminiscences
of people who had used the theatre and those who worked and
performed in it, the collectors hoped to document the controversy
surrounding its demolition. To this end, interviews with
heritage campaigners reflect the co-ordinated efforts of the
Saskatoon Special Committee on Historic Buildings, the Saskatoon
Heritage Society and concerned citizens to save the theatre.
Several city aldermen were interviewed explaining the position
held by the city council and their own feelings on the issue. A
member of the Legislative Assembly who sponsored the Heritage
Property Act, 1980 was motivated by the demolition of the Capitol
and speaks of the Act's usefulness in preserving historic
buildings in the future. The president of Princeton
Developments, the company which bought the theatre, recalls
aspects of the campaign to save it and plans for the site's
development.
A mental picture of the theatre and of its importance in the
lives of many Saskatoon residents can be obtained from listening
to the interviews of several generations of theatre-goers. In
subsequent years, as children, teenagers and adults, informants
all thought of the theatre as a special place where they attended
plays, concerts, musicals, lectures and graduations as well as
movies. One individual, when describing the decorations and the
feelings that the theatre evoked in her when she went to movies
in the 1940s, called it a "fairyland place".
Many people performed in the Capitol Theatre either as actors or
musicians. Their recollections of university musicals, symphony
concerts and dramatic productions are vivid and detailed, giving
another perspective on the theatre's function in the community.
Managers, ushers, doormen, candy counter workers, cashiers,
cleaning staff and projectionists create another picture of the
theatre which many patrons never saw. Their anecdotes and
descriptions are often humourous as they recall some of the
pranks that were pulled on fellow employees. Occasionally they
are scary, as when one of the cleaning women describes how bats
sometimes flew at them when they were working. One senses the
pride which employees felt in working at a place such as the
Capitol and the sadness they felt in seeing it go.
These recorded memories of the Capitol Theatre can in no way
replace the building that meant so much to people in Saskatoon
but they are a precious supplement to the few pictures, posters
and other memorabilia that have been salvaged.
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