Capitol Civic Center Ready to Officially Unveil Act 2 Renovations

When used in terms of a stage play, Act 2 is when the fun, exciting things begin. The hero takes on the villain. The man gets the woman. The big twist happens. The same can be said for the Act 2 renovations at the Capitol Civic Center in Manitowoc. We spoke with Matthew Schliesman, the Executive Director of the Gem of the Lakeshore, and he said the name is a double edged sword. “We called it Act 2 for several reasons,” he explained. “It’s a theatrical term, and six years ago we did some renovations as well, which we saw as a first step to the future…We called it Act 2 as a completion of the prior vision.”

The $3.1 million project sees a plethora of new things at the Capitol, including what Matthew calls the biggest change, the seating. They replaced the old seats with newer, more spacious seats. They also reorganized the seating to allow for more leg room for the guests. The seats also are more “period appropriate” to when the theater was built.

Other things that have changed is the addition of new bathrooms upstairs, a new grand staircase, and the inclusion of an elevator, to allow those with physical limitations to view a show from the upstairs seating area.

Tonight, the Capitol will be officially unveiling their renovations in what Matthew calls a “semi private event”. The official Chamber Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will start at 4:00 PM on the sidewalk, which will be followed by an Invite Only reception for the donors and contractors for the Act 2 renovation project.

For the rest of the public who wish to take a tour of the facility, they don’t offer official tours per se, but if you go in during a slower time, Matthew says that chances are someone behind the desk will be able to show you around the beautifully renovated theater.