The 1300-person Chubb Theatre at the Capitol Center for the Arts boasts painted ceilings, ornate columns and bright walls. In the three decades since the performing arts center began welcoming musicians, authors and comedians onto its stage, with crowds filling the tiered rows of seats, the theatre has built a reputation for itself.
Now, a new name will adorn the space, with the goal of honoring one of the key players who helped bring the Capitol Center to life: longtime Concord resident John Swope.
“This organization could not have gotten to where it is without a man like John Swope,” said Executive Director Sal Prizio. “And to me, it was my responsibility, for all of us on behalf of the CCA, that John is honored in this way.”
As the Chubb Theatre transforms into the John F. Swope Theatre, Prizio hopes to honor the past while setting his sights on the future.
A multi-million dollar renovation project is in the works for the center, nestled into the heart of downtown Concord. While Prizio said he can’t share the details yet, the renaming of the theatre is “the first step in a multifaceted transformational future for the original facilities here at the CCA.”
“We will be revealing all the things to everybody in the community in the near future, but we are working very hard to be patron-centric and ensuring that the future of the Capitol Center for the Arts entertainment experience is as cutting edge, exciting, enjoyable as any venue that you would go to in any major city,” he said.
Swope, who died last year at age 86, helped lay the foundation for the Capitol Center as it currently exists. He was a great enjoyer of music and comedy and wanted a dedicated third space in Concord for people with similar passions.
In the mid-1970s, Swope got involved with efforts to transform the Capitol Theatre into a more comprehensive art center. Two decades later, his efforts came to fruition as the nonprofit Capitol Center for the Arts.
“He was always the person that you had to step to in order to get to across the finish line,” Prizio said. “He always lent a helping hand. He was on the board. He was a board trustee emeritus for the entire existence of the organization.”
Beyond that, Swope was “an activator,” Prizio said.
“He would always say, ‘Look, if I’m going to give you — let’s just say, for an example, $100,000 — I want you to use this as a match to other people.'” Prizio said. “So, it was not just, ‘Here, I’ll give you money. Do the thing.’ It was, ‘Use this as motivation for other people to contribute to this.'”
His son, Kevin Swope, recalls the day Prizio told his father about the theatre’s new name. It happened last March, a month before he passed away.
“He was very understated along the way, so he said, ‘I suppose I’ll let them do that,'” Kevin Swope said. “But he was very proud, and I think happy about being recognized in that way. Although he would never have asked for it for himself.”
The previous name, Chubb Theatre, commemorated the large-scale donation that Swope secured for the Capitol Center around its inception. He was the president of Chubb LifeAmerica and convinced the company to support the project.
“I think this was a big part of his vision for keeping Concord vital in its downtown — active and not hollowed out like so many other communities,” said Kevin Swope. “He always thought the arts were a big part of that.”
