The Capitol Theatre in Port Alberni was once a movie theatre.
The first theatre in Port Alberni, The Port Theatre, was opened on First Avenue in the early 1900s by local businessman Jack Warren. But with the rise of talking pictures in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Warren saw the need for a larger and more modern theatre. He purchased the property at the corner of Fourth and Argyle Street in 1934, and construction of the Capitol Theatre began.
The Capitol Theatre operated as a movie theatre until the 1970s, when it was closed down. In 1989, it was purchased by the Portal Players Dramatic Society, which still operates the building to this day.
Currently, the Portal Players Dramatic Society is putting on the production of "God of Carnage." Tickets to the show can be found online at www.atthecapitol.org.
To view more than 24,000 historical Port Alberni photos, visit the Alberni Valley Museum’s online photo archives at portalberni.pastperfectonline.com.
