Capitol Theatre

Louise Mandrell performs at Capitol Theatre By LAURA ERNDE laurae@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Louise Mandrell stepped off the Capitol Theatre stage Saturday and into audience members' hearts. Singing a country song about her Texas home, Mandrell took the first of several walks through the aisles to shake hands and give hugs. "I am so thrilled to be here," she said. Admired as much for her sweet personality as she is for her music, Mandrell entertained about 900 people at two shows Saturday.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. --John Putch could not get it out of his head. The tales of sasquatch. The sightings of ghosts. The encounters with an elephant-obsessed store owner. The secluded lake that was once a rock quarry. "It is something I think about all the time and have thought about for years," he said. Often that lore drew him back to his home at the edge of the Micheaux State Forest. But rather than repress his memories, the Hollywood film director decided to commit them to the big screen in his new backwoods comedy set along the Lincoln Highway titled "Route 30. " Putch traveled back to Chambersburg on Saturday to hammer out some last-minute details before he screens his movie at the Capitol Theatre on June 20 and 21. The film has shown in Gettysburg, Pa., and York, Pa., two towns, which like Chambersburg, sit along the highway that inspired Putch's film.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The auditorium ceiling of the Capitol Theatre, part of which collapsed during an April performance, will be replaced as part of a project costing $315,000, according to an announcement Wednesday by Paul Cullinane, president of Downtown Chambersburg Inc. "The final decision of the Downtown Chambersburg Inc. Board of Directors is to replace the main auditorium ceiling with a new ceiling of...

bonnieb@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - A visitor to the Capitol Theatre Center Monday afternoon might wonder why 74 children braved a snowstorm to stand in a large circle belting out such phrases as: "I don't like boiled spinach. " "This limousine is far too small. " "Pea pods remind me of aliens. " The answer is simple: The smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd. The aspiring actors and actresses, accompanied by parents and siblings, turned out to audition for the musical production of "Cinderella" with the Missoula Children's Theatre.

chambersburg@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Work to replace the Capitol Theatre ceiling is entering its final weeks, but no new shows will be scheduled for the historic theater until January, according to Downtown Chambersburg Inc. President Paul Cullinane. The 78-year-old theater has been closed since April 30 when a section of the ceiling measuring about 4 feet by 8 feet collapsed during a performance, injuring several people, one of whom was hospitalized for about three weeks with leg injuries.

katec@herald-mail.com Country chanteuse Kathy Mattea says music at its best awakens people to a different place. Her feelings about art will have a literal translation Saturday, Sept. 20, when Mattea opens the Capitol Theatre's new season. Although the recent expansion of the theater hasn't changed much in the 852-seat auditorium itself, 159 S. Main St. in Chambersburg, Pa., is truly a different place. The Capitol Theatre Center is the result of the $5 million renovation and expansion of the 1927 theater.

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - It's been a long wait, but the members of Chambersburg Community Theatre are finally back home. And they couldn't be more excited. On Friday, March 10, the community theater will present "While the Lights Were Out," their first production on the Capitol Theatre stage since a portion of the theater's ceiling collapsed in April 2005. "You don't know how much we're glad to be back on this home stage," says Ron Beckley, sound technician with the community theater.

Tricia Maciejewski of Chambersburg, Pa., purchased this tree for her mother Monday at the inaugural Festival of Trees at the Capitol Theatre. The auction of 26 trees, 12 wreaths and 12 other items decorated by local businesses and organizations raised $4,500 for the Greater Chambersburg Chamber Foundation.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Coasters. The Drifters. The Marvellettes. While the names of these bands might be familiar to some, their individual hits are familiar to almost everyone. The Drifters' "Under the Boardwalk," the Coasters' "Yakety Yak" and the Marvellettes' "Playboy" are three of the hits of the 1950s and '60s that the singing groups will present in their upcoming concert on Saturday, June 25. "This is one of the biggest shows we have all year," Capitol Theatre marketing director Beth Thorenson said.

A movie that loosely references true crime on the Appalachian Trail will debut Saturday at the Capitol Theatre in Chambersburg. “It's definitely not a slasher movie, but it does revolve around murder and crime,” said Libby McDermott, the movie's director. “Dead Woman's Hollow” will play on the South Main Street theater's screen Saturday at 8 p.m. The story written by Indiana resident John Taylor follows an investigation into the murder of two girls who were hiking. “It's cool to have a film that was shot in Franklin County play in Franklin County,” said Matt Stahley, director of photography.