Daring Rescue Leads to Safe Puppet

In a frightful turn of events, what began as a commercial shoot ended in a suspenseful kidnapping & eventual rescue by two brave Capitol Theatre employees.

On Wednesday evening, Mr. Puppet* (not his real name) starred in a yet to be released television commercial shoot. No details were available at the time of this report, but it was believed that everything went as planned and that all involved parties were home and in bed by 9:00 PM.

However, when employees arrived at the Capitol Theatre administrative offices the following morning, a startling discovery was made. An email message and photo showed a blindfolded Mr. Puppet, clearly being held against his will. The accompanying message "$0.50 or the puppet sleeps with the puppet-fish!" clarified any doubts that our felt friend had been kidnapped!

Within the hour, a second picture and message had been sent. This time, Mr. Puppet was unmistakably under physical duress, as he was shown bound and under the glare of an interrogation lamp. "1 hour or you start receiving felt fingers, and then felt ears!" read the accompanying threat.

Ryan Messer, the Director of Donor Development for the Capitol Theatre, was nonplussed by the threats and called a press conference.

“The Capitol Theatre does not negotiate with terrorists. We will hunt this person down and we will find him,” he stated with the stomp of a large foot.

When a third photo was sent, showing Mr. Puppet precariously perched on top of a cooler filled with a vile, biohazard material—reeking oddly of soured, wet towels—Messer snapped, and grabbing Capitol Theatre stage manager Kandice Flowers announced, “We’re goin’ in!”
Within moments of entering the Theatre facility, the two brave rescuers had uncovered the whereabouts of a trembling Mr. Puppet, and had him sipping coffee and wrapped in a warm blanket. He was brought back to the administrative offices and was last seen resting comfortably on a couch.

In an interview following the daring rescue, Messer was overheard in a near rant. “We’ll catch that (beep)! “You just wait. We’ll hunt him down and smoke ‘im out!

For the full story in pictures, please visit: http://bit.ly/1cIaRL

EDGE Series

About two weeks ago, I knew something was up at the office. Our development director, Ryan, was watching a lot of YouTube, viewing the same video over and over. Then an odd little puppet was delivered. Since then, I’ve caught glimpses of marketing and TV people meeting, and have overheard talk of explosions, split second timing and large high-heeled shoes.

It turns out we’re making a television commercial to introduce the new Broadway on the EDGE series. I believe it’s Ryan’s brainchild, and the brilliant people at KNDO know how to put it all together. Don’t quote me, but I think it involves a sledge hammer and a puppet, a bad wig and—I think—a guy in drag. Hmmmm… I really can’t wait to see the final project. I’ll let you know when it’s out there!

It’s embarrassing, but I’ll admit it. I don’t recognize most of Town Hall’s guests. Perhaps I just don’t pay enough attention to the world, or I filter out too much of the news in an effort to avoid becoming depressed.

Okay. Maybe I’m just a little ignorant.

So, when I heard that Dan Buettner was coming to Town Hall, it didn’t ring a bell. I googled him, and was pleasantly surprised at some of the cool stuff this guy has done, primarily his Earthtreks, Inc. endeavors.

Mr. Buettner has bicycled across several countries. In 1993, he began transmitting videos and stories from the places he was traveling via the internet. Soon hundreds of thousands of students we’re “traveling” with him, asking questions, getting responses, and seeing the world almost first hand. These trans-world education experiences became the foundation for Earthtreks, Inc.

What a cool way to make a difference.

Mr. Buettner will be presenting at the Capitol Theatre on Wednesday, October 23.

I, for one, will be sure to be there.

Giraffe What?!

Ever wonder what kind of doorway one would need for something really tall, like say, a giraffe?

In the early 20th century, bike-riding bears, dancing baby elephants, and even bowing giraffes were popular acts appearing on Vaudeville tours. Much like the variety shows of the 1950s, Vaudeville was family friendly entertainment, and the Capitol Theatre was the venue in Central Washington for top entertainment.

If you’ve ever toured the Capitol Theatre, you may have noticed the giraffe doors, located on the South side of the stage. Funny to see—since giraffes haven’t graced the stage in many years—the doors have no practical purpose today, but to perhaps make one ponder how much entertainment has changed in the past 75 years or so.

This week, as part of the Theatre construction and remodel, the old giraffe doors came down. I rushed over from the offices to see them up close and to take a few pictures. They somehow look a bit smaller, lying on the stage, but the 18 foot doorway, now wide open, still makes me wonder about how tall a giraffe really is and how odd it would be to have one on the stage.

It's Official!

Though actual digging commenced in August, this past Tuesday, September 8, marked the official groundbreaking for the Capitol Theatre expansion! An impressive number of Theatre friends and community supporters turned out to hear what Senators Curtis King and Jim Clements, and Mayor Dave Edler, and City Manager Dick Zais had to say about the project and to see the golden shovels in action.

As a sort of “behind the scenes” person, I was inspired to experience the excitement and anticipation that filled the Theatre stage as honored guests spoke. I mean, I’m already excited about the whole thing… I work there. I look at the plans everyday and watch and photograph the construction progress. But to have others—especially those whose plates I know are very full—take the time to come and speak about the Theatre and all it means to Yakima, and all the expansion will do for the community… that had a pretty big impact on me personally.

Thanks to all who were able to enjoy the event, and those who sent their well-wishes. And of course, thanks to those who had the vision to create whole idea, long before I even became a part of the Theatre.

Quick Update

Sorry I've been a bit delinquent in keeping things up on the blog! I took a vacation, and just haven't gotten all the way back into the swing of things :-/

It's exciting to come to work each morning and view the progress going on behind the Theatre. From the first digging, to the setting of the giant retaining blocks (they look a lot like huge legos), to the drilling of the elevator shaft and the big hole cut into the back wall of the Theatre just this week... Each day brings evidence of real PROGRESS!

We're working on getting a live feed up on the Web, so that you can check in anytime, 24-7. Feel free to leave comments and let us know what you think. Join us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Yakima-WA/The-Capitol-Theatre/134196885575?ref=ts) or follow us on Twitter (search Shorty's House).

We want to know what you think! After all, it's YOUR Theatre.

Addams Family

The Addams Family... A Musical?! What could be better than that? http://bit.ly/MUb5I