Feeling at home in the event location
21.07.2023 – The Capitol Theater in Offenbach celebrates its 25th birthday on October 21, 2023 - until then, the team at the theater will be highlighting one aspect of the unique event location every month around the 21st. In July, the focus is on the Capitol Theater as a home: some citizens feel just as much at home here as the large orchestra, the glamorous gala and the local theater heroes. Even some celebrities such as Badesalz and Gerd Dudenhöffer come back every few years.
Older locals in Offenbach already know the Capitol from its time as a theater on Goethestraße and as the stage for the musical "Tommy" by The Who. In October 1998, the Capitol opened in its current form as a multifunctional venue. "Whether culture or entertainment, leisure or education, variety or distraction - our loyal connoisseurs have been finding all of this here for almost 25 years," says Capitol Managing Director Birgit von Hellborn.
A fairytale world for several generations
A traditional date for whole generations of families is the Christmas fairy tale at the Capitol, which the Elmar e.V. theater club established there back in 1999: Anyone who had bright eyes here as a child will gladly return later with their own offspring. The little ones traditionally sit in the front rows and are included in the play. "For us, the Capitol is the most beautiful theater in the Rhine-Main region," says club chairman Simon Isser. "When countless children enjoy a magical fairytale world coming to life behind the heavy curtain on the first Advent - that's when the Christmas season begins for us." Many "Elmarians" have grown up in and with the Capitol: "They once played small roles there as children and are still there as adults every year when the curtain opens on the fairytale world." On the Monday after the 1st Advent, groups from nurseries and elementary school always visit the Capitol, says Isser: "For many children, this visit to the Christmas fairy tale is the first visit to the theater in their lives." A little tip in advance: Snow White & Rose Red will be coming to the Capitol on 1 Advent 2023.
"War widda mol schee - see you next year!" Anyone who signs the guest book like this has obviously known the Capitol for some time. In fact, the comedy duo Badesalz holds the record with over a dozen guest appearances to date, followed by Gerd Dudenhöffer and Urban Priol - and the next date is sure to come: As "Kaksi Dudes" (Finnish for "two buddies"), the two Hessians will really get on each other's nerves on September 23 and 24 at the Capitol...
A new attitude to life for the large orchestra
Shortly afterwards, on October 8, the new season of the Capitol Classic Lounge (CCL) begins. Its success story would not have been possible without its namesake venue: a symphony orchestra found its new home here in 2005, and the first CCL season began just one year later. "It was a completely new feeling when our musicians came into their own house," recalls orchestra director Dr. Ralph Philipp Ziegler. "A theater like this as a home and very quickly a loyal, enthusiastic audience - that was an absolute stroke of luck for us." Since the previous orchestra, the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt, was reorganized into two orchestras in 2018, the connection to the home venue is even more evident: "It was clear to us from the very first second that our formation would be named after the unique Capitol Theater," emphasizes Ziegler. The Capitol Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has been playing here ever since, with a few personnel changes. The musicians, all of whom are also crossover-savvy, rehearse on Goethestrasse for their top-class CCL concert series on site as well as for their performances at the Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman, or with stars such as the legendary klezmer clarinettist Giora Feidman.
Traditional gala for the Offenbach sports family
The City of Offenbach's sports gala has also been bringing big names to the Capitol for many years: Rudi Völler (2009), Franziska van Almsick (2011) and junior boxing world champion Luca Cinqueoncie (2023) have all taken to the stage here. The major sporting social event is aimed at the entire sports scene in Offenbach and is primarily intended to promote cooperation between those working in the sport on a voluntary basis. The former Theater an der Goethestraße has also hosted top-class guest performances since 2009: The city's Office for Culture and Sports Management has established the Theateressenz series in Offenbach; here, too, a new season of great stage art begins in October. Overall, Ziegler sees many reasons for a cultural manager to feel that culture in Offenbach is a motivating and inspiring affair of the heart: "For me, the Capitol is the most important of all the convincing points: it is an important, charismatic and beautiful house with a terrific team - and the warmest audience ever."
Only Birgit von Hellborn knows how to top this feeling of home: The managing director has been coming to the Capitol for 25 years and sometimes mixes up her office key with the front door key. She also eats lunch here and sees her employees as a small family that sticks together even in difficult times. "Once I even turned up here in slippers, much to the amusement of my team."
Further information about the anniversary can be found successively on the social media channels and on the Capitol website.