The Capitol Theatre has seen a lot of growth over the past ten years, and Kim Rayworth has played a role.

She has decided it’s time to close the stage curtains and will retire at the end of the 2025/2026 season.

“I have been with the Capitol since the year 2000, when I joined the Board of Directors, and in 2009, I became the Director of Development. So, as part of that role, I wrote grants and negotiated corporate partnerships and was a proud member of the team. I started part-time in the beginning in 2009 when my kids were small, and then in 2015 when our Managing Director, Marc Choiunard, fell ill and passed away, quite suddenly, I became the Managing Director, following an interview process.”

Rayworth says it’s a strange and bittersweet feeling, but she has lots to celebrate about her time in her various roles with the Capitol Theatre.

“We’re really proud of the work we’ve done in audience development, in creating an exciting experience when you visit the theatre and all of the major innovations, but definitely, I’ll miss the team, the audiences, the artists, all of the excitement of being part of this vibrant and amazing organization. Bittersweet is probably a great word to describe the feeling,” Rayworth expressed.

She adds that the Capitol brings a lot of artists to the City of Moncton, who may not choose to go there otherwise, “That’s really our passion, and that’s what we love to do, to go and find those artists and bring them to our hall, and then create that audience experience. People feel that they’re warmly welcomed. They love having a drink in the lobby, seeing other members of the community, and then they’re delighted with the beauty of the hall.”

The Capitol has undergone some major projects over the last 20 to 25 years, including a seat replacement project last year, which included theatre lovers adopting the old seats.

As for the individual who will eventually be chosen to fill Rayworth’s big shoes, she has this advice: “There are a lot of things to do in Moncton, and it’s so fun to be an important part of the entertainment ecosystem in this region. So, for me, never lose sight of the fact that people have a lot of choices, and never take a visit for granted. It’s important to welcome people, and it’s important to find out how the experience, how they appreciated their time with us, and never forget that we’re really fortunate that people visit us and make sure that they keep coming back.”

She adds that the Capitol Theatre is lucky to have such dedicated ticket buyers, community, fans, funders, federal and provincial municipal partners, who help to provide the chance to book and rebook artists year over year.