About Us
Mission
Inspire, educate and entertain through professional performing arts experiences that bring together York County’s diverse voices.
Our History
For the last 45 years, the Appell Center for the Performing Arts (formerly known as the Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center) has served as the cultural hub of downtown York. It has presented national touring performers and films... It has served as a center for education and community engagement... And it has provided a performance space for the York Symphony Orchestra, Dance It Forward/Greater York Dance, the York County Honors Choirs and many more.
While its architectural footprint has expanded over the years,
the heart of the organization is its two historic theaters –
the Capitol Theatre and the Strand Theatre.
Borne in the Era of Film
The Capitol Theatre began its journey in 1906. That year, it opened as “The Theatorium,” a dance hall and performance space. Soon, the programming shifted to the big screen as silent film moved into its golden age. In 1908, the theater was purchased by RC Jackson & Co. And in 1917, it saw a huge renovation with a balcony and raked floor. The changes created a true film house – the Jackson Theater.
As the silent film industry boomed in the 1920s, so did the number of York theaters. In August 1925, Appell Enterprises, led by Nathan Appell and his son Louis, opened the Strand Theatre. It was a million-dollar structure built in the Italian Renaissance architecture style. The theater was built for film, but it was designed with expansion in mind.
Soon after they opened the Strand Theatre, Appell Enterprises purchased the Jackson Theatre. They renamed it the Capitol Theatre and opened its doors on August 9, 1926. Appell Enterprises didn’t stop there. They purchased 14 theaters in central Pennsylvania. Seven of those theaters were within two minutes of York’s Continental Square.
The Studio Era
In 1928, Nathan Appell unexpectedly passed away. By 1930, “The Studio Era” had begun. The era was marked by the rise of major production houses like Warner Brothers and MGM. They purchased venues across the country so they could screen their own films. Appell Enterprises sold all its theaters to Warner Brothers.
Film screenings continued in the Strand and Capitol Theatres through ownership changes and the demise of the Studio Era. The Post World War II era brought the construction of the suburbs. With it came shopping malls and the first megaplex theaters. By the mid-1960s, attendance at downtown theaters suffered, and by 1977 the Strand and Capitol Theatres had closed their doors.
A New Performing Arts Center
Before the Strand and Capitol Theatres closed, the community was already thinking about a downtown performing arts center. In 1972, the York County Coalition Task Force made the idea formal. It formed an ad hoc committee in 1976, on which one Louis Appell, Jr. (grandson of Nathan Appell), served. Committee members sought to transform the theaters into a performing arts center and downtown centerpiece.
The path was rocky. Many proposals and plans came and went. Finally in 1977, members of the Junior League of York found a way forward. They created a framework to purchase and renovate the Strand and Capitol Theatres. That winter, the theaters were purchased from the City. A Board of Directors was formed, and fundraising for the new center began.
On April 12, 1980, the Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center opened its doors. The opening gala was a night to remember with a performance led by jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald and the York Symphony Orchestra.
Appell Center for the Performing Arts
In 2016, Louis Appell, Jr., passed away. Shortly after, the Board of Directors renamed our organization the Appell Center for the Performing Arts. The name celebrates four generations of Appells who have led, supported and partnered with us and our downtown York community.
We are approaching the Strand Theatre’s 100th anniversary in 2025. As it draws near, the Appell Center continues to lay the groundwork for the next 100 years of performing arts in historic York, Pennsylvania.
Annual Report
Annual Report
Read and see how by expanding our reach, making a bigger impact, and investing in our beloved facility, the Appell Center has grown stronger and more connected to the community.
The Appell Center for the Performing Arts (ACPA) experienced remarkable growth and seized numerous opportunities, expanding its artistic reach across the county. Our annual report for 2023-2024 highlights key areas of our business, including overall impact, investments in the historic facility, Education and Community Engagement, community support and more.
We welcome you to read all about it in our 2023-2024 Annual Report.
Welcome & Belonging
Welcome & Belonging Vision Statement
Appell Center for the Performing Arts will be a performing arts hub that welcomes the cross-cultures, ideas, experiences and faces of York County.
Community Commitment
As a public gathering place for our entire community, we at the Appell Center see it as our top priority to ensure that all patrons, performers, staff and guests feel welcome—regardless of age, gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, religion or sexual orientation. The performing arts are designed to unite everyone in shared experiences and expand all our horizons. Filling our house with those of every background and perspective makes our organization stronger.
When Louis Appell Jr. set out to revive the Strand and Capitol Theatres back in the 1970s, his vision was to design theatres so beautiful that each person who walked through the doors felt they were about to experience something special, and to build accessible, welcoming theatres that every single member of the community could enjoy.
We at the Appell Center for the Performing Arts see it as our duty to carry on that very important vision through all of our programming selections, education programs and community outreach initiatives. Within these walls everyone will be welcome, safe and, above all, entertained!
The Appell Center for the Performing Arts will:
Present the widest possible range of artists, art forms and film to appeal to all audiences with the intentional inclusion of underserved and underrepresented members of the community.
Invite and welcome audiences from all backgrounds throughout York County, seeking to break down barriers to access and participation.
Create partnerships and programs that invite and engage community participation, inclusive of underrepresented communities, and provide an opportunity to have a voice in Appell Center learning and engagement.
Extend the reach of staff hiring, board nominations and volunteer recruiting throughout the County, seeking to remove barriers to opportunity and ensuring the range of expertise, backgrounds and perspectives required to achieve strategic and operational goals.
Seek the expertise and resources of a broad range of vendors and contractors to improve venue accessibility including physical, language, sensory and more.
Actively and consistently seek financial investment that enables the organization to extend the reach of its offerings to all York County audiences.
Staff & Board
The Appell Center for the Performing Arts staff is a talented group of individuals all striving towards a common goal — to elevate and spotlight performing arts and education in downtown York. Please contact us with any questions, ideas or concerns you may have — we look forward to hearing from you!
Todd Fogdall
President & CEO
717-825-2230
Mindi Haines
Director of Development
717-825-2235
AJ Myers
Director of Education & Community Engagement
717-825-2242
Amanda Spalla
Director of Operations
717-825-2247
Debra L. Volz
Director of Marketing
717-825-2231
Katelyn Estep
Operations Manager
717-825-2241
Dave Hoffheins
Marketing Content Manager
717-825-2234
Kimberly Soderberg
Development Manager
717-825-2236
Dan Crowell
Development & Education Assistant
717-825-2239
Rachel Ritchey
Digital Marketing Assistant
717-825-2238
Robert Delany
Programming Assistant
717-825-2232
Jeremy Kilgore
Operations Assistant
717-846-1111
Michelle Richard
Administrative Assistant
717-825-2240
Julie Lavetan
Senior Box Office Agent
717-846-1111
Bea Campbell
Box Office Agent
717-846-1111
Please use our contact form to email a specific department.
Elaine Bonneau
Board Chair / Welcome & Belonging Committee Chair
Bonneau and Associates
Dan Meckley
Vice Board Chair
Kratos Defense and Security Industries
Kira Wagner
Immediate Past Chair / Governance Committee Chair
Victoria Connor
Finance Committee Chair
York County Bar Association
Mark Holman
Partnership Committee Chair
Retired, Susquehanna Township School District
Larissa Tosch
Facilities Committee Chair
Glatfelter Insurance Group
Suzanne Becker
York Water Company
Mary Beth Ching
IREGC
Martin Fedorko
White Rose Ventures
Juliet Kinsley
Ellis Lee, Marketing & Graphic Design
Jenette Lloyd-Jones
WellSpan Health
Eric Menzer
York Revolution
Christine Nentwig, Esq.
Excelist Law, LLC
Brian Strong
Katherman, Briggs, Greenberg
Dr. Paul Tolerico
WellSpan Health
