Have you ever been to the Capri recently? If the reply is yes, you then’re probably planning your next visit. If the reply isn’t any, then it’s time to get out your calendar and make a plan.

Since its grand re-opening following a $13 million renovation, some 30,000 visitors have come to the Capri Theater to share the space, be entertained, and learn. The expansion added some 20,000 square feet to the theater and event space, operated by the Plymouth Christian Youth Center.

“I need to welcome everyone in,” said Dennis Spears, the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame singer, actor, and director who’s the Capri artistic associate. “Whenever you enter the constructing you recognize instantly, there’s something sacred about this space. Whenever you are available, you’ll experience great art.”

Situated at 2027 West Broadway, the Capri Theater is certainly one of the anchors of the West Broadway Cultural Corridor, certainly one of Minneapolis’ seven vibrant cultural districts, a part of a city initiative designed to encourage exploration of a few of its most unusual and intriguing neighborhood hubs.

The Capri Theater was inbuilt 1927 as a movie house. In its first near-century, the architectural gem has woven itself into the very life and history of the Northside. Today’s visitors can enjoyment of photographs of a really young Prince Rogers Nelson, who played his first solo show on the Capri in 1979( “Tickets were $4 upfront, $4.50 on the door,” chuckled Spears).

Today, the Capri buzzes with activity, with programming and activities for youth, a weekly farmer’s market from 3 to 7 pm on Friday afternoons on the theater’s front plaza, and an array of completed musicians on the stage within the evening.

Tickets are still available for the July 13 jazz and R&B concert featuring chart-toppers Shaun LaBelle, with Stokley and Randy Scott on the Capri stage. Doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 7:30. Attendees are invited to reach early to fulfill, greet and revel in a beverage.

Later this month, details of the 14th season of the “Legends” series shall be announced. This season’s Legends will include five concert events; the series was created by Spears, who curates the performances.

“I began Legends as a tribute to jazz artists past and present who I admired. I wanted something that will give work to our great jazz artists and introduce the community to the nice musicians I even have been blessed to work with,” Spears said. “Legends is a vehicle to indicate the correlation between jazz, gospel, blues, hip hop and rap. They’re all connected.”

The community can also be invited to a free event at 4 pm on July 29. 12×12: Northside x Joe Davis, presented by Mixed Blood Theater, The event will feature poet and community organizer Joe Davis partnering with artists from across the Northside to inform the community’s stories and reflect dreams for the long run. The general public event will include poetry, music, an art installation and food.

The experience for the audience on the Capri events often continues after the performers have left the stage.

“When people come to experience the music and dance, it’s like within the Black church; after being in service we would like to sit down around and talk,” said Spears. “They experience a production and so they don’t want to go away, they wish to stand in fellowship. After the pandemic, people wish to be together.”

Together with experiencing the Capri, visitors are encouraged to explore the West Broadway Cultural District and absorb its number of Black-owned shops, galleries, bars and dining spots up and down the thoroughfare. 

The Capri Theater is positioned at 2027 West Broadway, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55411. Free parking is on the market within the lot just west of the Capri, with handicapped parking available as well. Free street parking can also be found on West Broadway and on twenty third Avenue North and Oliver Avenue North (adjoining to PCYC). For more information, visit https://thecapri.org.