Capitol Theatre Names New General Manager

PORT CHESTER, NY — The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester names a new general manager Thursday. Bruce Wheeler, the theater's director of production, was promoted to the top post.

Wheeler, an award-winning event production executive, hosted an average of 120 events a year and oversaw the venue’s intricate production system. Before The Capitol Theatre, he was the general manager of the Central Park Summerstage venue in New York and acted as tour and production manager for A-list artists including Regina Spektor, Jimmy Fallon and Cage The Elephant. Wheeler follows Tom Bailey, who is now general manager of San Francisco’s Peninsula Arts Guild.

“I'm thrilled for the opportunity to head up the amazing staff here at the Cap,” Wheeler said. “The history of this room is unparalleled, the job is as much of a caretaker of its legacy as it is GM."

He said the team that theater-owner Peter Shapiro built is second-to-none, and he was appreciative of his desire and devotion to have The Capitol Theatre continue to be a premiere touring and event destination in the northeast.

Before making the move into production, Wheeler, a New Jersey native, built a foundation on the record label side spending time at Caroline, MCA and J Records, as well as studying entertainment marketing at NYU.

He is also is a graduate of Hyde Park's Culinary Institute of America and worked for various properties, including Windows on the World and the Hard Rock Cafe. Wheeler lives in West New York, New Jersey, with his wife Rosita.

“I first met Bruce when he was General Manager at Central Park Summerstage and I was on the board,” Shapiro said. “Every time I attended a show, he was there with a firm handshake and a warm smile and hello. It sounds like a simple thing, but not everyone does that every time you see them. That’s how we like to do things at the Capitol. With a smile, every time.”

The Capitol Theatre was built in 1926 and is listed in The National Register of Historic Places. The 2,000-capacity theater, known as “the original rock palace," showcased rock legends such as Traffic, the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, Black Sabbath, Chuck Berry, David Bowie, Derek and the Dominos, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones.

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