Studio C Cappa

Studio C Cappa, Internally known as Small-Town Studio C or Small Market Studio C, is a stage type found at Chuck E. Cheese's locations which opened between 2003 to 2006 and was used as a replacement stage from 2003 to 2009. A total of 63 shows were installed, and as of September 2024, 12 remain in operation, solely in the United States. 1 stage was installed in Canada, but the location (Kingston, Ontario, Canada (768 Gardiners Rd)) closed in 2015. The Studio C Cappa is the only Studio C stage to only have 16-movement animatronics designed by Garner Holt.

History

In 2002, Chuck E. Cheese's would begin testing a new store format known officially as 'Small-Town CEC' stores at three locations: Waco, TX (5106 West Waco Dr), Lake Jackson, TX (100 West Hwy 332), and Dover, DE (1275 N DuPont Hwy). These would feature a stage called the Small-Town Studio C Prototype which lacked the animatronic. This test was quickly dropped in favor of retaining an animatronic show. In 2003, a revised version of the ”Small-Town” store concept would debut at the Joplin, MO (101 N Range Line Rd) location, which opened its doors on July 22, 2003. The specific version of this stage would be installed at seven stores through September 30, 2003, when it was installed at Muskegon, MI (5600 Harvey St). In November 2003, a second version of the stage was installed across thirty-three stores; the first store being Tuscaloosa, AL (1375 McFarland Blvd). “Version 2” of the stage would be installed through early/mid 2005 when it was last installed at Evansville, IN (559 N Green River Rd). In 2004 or 2005, the location in Lewisville, TX (2402 S Stemmons Fwy) was the first to receive a third version of the stage show that combined parts of the existing show with some fixtures of the Studio C Beta. This “Version 3” stage would be installed at twenty-two locations across various locations from until October 30, 2006 when the final show of this type was installed at the New Hartford, NY (4631 Commercial Dr) location. After a hiatus, the final stage to be installed would be the Alexandria, LA (1725 Metro Dr) location in 2009.

Nomenclature

Superficially, it may seem that this show goes by one name and one name only, 'Studio C Cappa', a name was coined by either Jenn Waitt or Travis Schafer using a combination of the Greek Alphabet and a play on words with of word 'Crap'.⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾ In reality this show went by two identifiers, Small-Town Studio 'C' and Small Market Studio 'C'. Internally, CEC refers this stage as 'Small Town Studio 'C''. In the Studio C manual, two pages mention a 'Small Town' show. These pages have audio/video flow for a show with three 60-inch monitors and one additional monitor for the bluescreen area.⁽³⁾ This AV diagram is most definitely depicting 'Studio C Cappa'. The earlier iteration of this stage-- only including the Bluescreen, lighting, and three monitors-- had specific shows created for it and also utilized the Small Town handle when identifying it.⁽²⁾ Building plans, mainly coming from C.T. Chang, BWM, and Parkway Construction, used the 'Small Market Studio 'C'' handle⁽²⁾, while the 1999 show concept developed for 6 locations, were identified as 'Small Town Studio C'.⁽²⁾

Design

The first iteration of the Studio C Cappa reused parts of the buffet setup but also introduced a new stage design for Chuck E.. The new design would feature a mirror with three rope lights behind the Chuck E. Cheese 16m (Animatronic). The animatronic sat atop an angular, trapezoidal stage with no curtains with the flood lights moved to the spotlight bar. Next to Chuck E. was a large platform which all of the elements of the Studio C Beta were condensed into; up top were three 60' rear projection monitors lined up evenly next to each other and below that was a small but wide blue screen with a trapezoidal carpet mat on the floor. For additional lighting the spotlight bar had the CEC Spot, three floods, Gemini, Warp, Strobe, Applause and On the Air. Waco received a unique set up instead of the blue screen it used the same material seen on the stage with the 'CEC' letters put on top of it to the left and right it featured two sets of three rope lights.

Version 2

This design was the second to come out in November 2003, with some changes firstly being the backdrop, it was changed from a mirror to a spiral shape with lights in it that extends to the wall next to it on the right. The animatronic sat atop an angular, trapezoidal stage with no curtains with the flood lights moved to the spotlight bar. Next to Chuck E. was a large platform which all of the elements of the Studio C Beta were condensed into; up top were three 24' rear projection monitors lined up evenly next to each other and below that was a small but wide blue screen with a trapezoidal carpet mat on the floor. For additional lighting the spotlight bar had the spotlight for Chuck E., two floods, the Gemini, and strobe light.

Version 3

The final design removed the trapezoidal stage and extended swirl pattern replacing them with what the Studio C Beta looked like. complete with lights and backdrop and working curtains until early 2006 when fake curtains began being installed. The Blue Screen design and lighting remained the same as it was in “Version 2”.

Current Installations

Current Total Remaining: 12

Location	Version	Year Installed	Notes
Jackson, TN	V1	2003	Last Cappa and Last animatronic of any kind in Tennessee.
Muncie, IN	V2	2003	One of the Last 2 Cappas in Indiana.
Kokomo, IN	V2	2004	One of the Last 2 Cappas in Indiana.
Asheville, NC	V2	2004	Last Cappa in North Carolina.
Hattiesburg, MS*	V2, V3	2004	Last Cappa in Mississippi.
Sumter, SC	V2	2004	Last Cappa in South Carolina.
Salisbury, MD	V2	2004	Last Cappa in Maryland.
Longview, TX	V2	2004	One of the Last 4 Cappas in Texas.
Dothan, AL	V2	2004	Last Cappa in Alabama.
College Station, TX	V2	2004	One of the Last 4 Cappas in Texas.
Lake Jackson, TX	V3	2005/2006	One of the Last 4 Cappas in Texas.
Abilene, TX	V3	2005	One of the Last 4 Cappas in Texas.