“See You at the Capitol Lobby, 6pm,” a talk by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow, Sat 18 Jul 2015; 10.00am

“See You at the Capitol Lobby, 6pm,” a talk by Yu-Mei Balasingamchow Sat 18 Jul 2015; 10.00am – 12.00pm @ @ The URA Centre, Level 5, Function Hall.

Free, but register for the talk at EventBrite.

“For several generations of Singaporeans, Capitol Theatre was the place to meet friends, or that special someone. From 1930 until 1998, the landmark drew countless starry-eyed movie-goers into its luxuriously decorated cinema hall, which was large enough to seat almost 1,600 people. Many people fondly remember the ‘Pegasus’ statues in the hall, as well as the Magnolia Snack Bar in Capitol Building.

Now that Capitol Theatre has been restored and reopened, there’s no better time to explore the social history of this grande dame. Why did someone build such an ornate theatre in the first place? How did it survive World War Two and the Japanese Occupation? And what made it such a special place in the post-war decades? Come and take a walk down memory lane, as we revisit Capitol’s highs and lows over the decades.”

Yu-Mei Balasingamchow is the co-author of Singapore: A Biography (2009). Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2014. She has written a history of Capitol Theatre (forthcoming, 2015) and is currently working on new permanent exhibitions for the National Museum of Singapore. Her website is toomanythoughts.org.