During the Great Depression, there was one industry that had a profit increase each year, said Karen Hume, executive director for the Capitol Arts Alliance. People flocked to theaters for an escape from poverty and sadness, and the entertainment industry flourished.

She said that the U.S. is facing what economists call the worst financial struggle since the Depression. But the arts industry has seen very different results because of TV, movies and the Internet.

Bowling Green’s The Capitol Arts Alliance is dealing with the change, Hume said.

Hume said the Capitol’s revenue has been down 30 percent since 2006, and continued loss could seriously endanger its ability to stay open.

The Capitol Arts building, at 416 E. Main St., hosts entertainment for the community including concerts, plays and art galleries.

“This is a beautiful old building with so much history,” she said. “It has had legendary people perform within its walls. But it’s extremely hard to maintain.”

Records from the Kentucky Library and Museum trace the building’s origins to 1890, when the Capitol first opened as a vaudeville house called the Columbia Theatre featuring burlesque and comedy acts.

During the height of the Depression in the 1930s, it was transformed into a movie house, adopting Capitol Theatre as its name, according to records.

In the 1960s and 70s, the building sat vacant and fell into a state of extreme disrepair, Hume said.

“There were some very committed people who would not let the Capitol be forgotten,” she said.

After three years of renovation, the building reopened as a performing arts center called the Capitol Arts Alliance in 1981, she said.

Hume oversees all of the Capitol’s business. She said the building requires constant upkeep and attention because of its age.

“We have a repairman on call for anything that may go wrong at any time,” she said. “There’s never a dull or peaceful moment. Something is always happening.”

One of the Capitol’s veterans is the current technical director, Jeff Smith, who handles lighting and sets for the Capitol’s shows.

He’s been involved with the Capitol since the early 1990s.

“There’s something so fun about working here,” he said. “The Capitol is my second home, and I love it with all I have.”

Smith answers a call about a broken stage light and, without a beat, heads to fix it.

“I feel like I’m a part of this building,” he said, walking in long strides. “I keep it alive, and it returns the favor.”

Keeping the Capitol building alive involves more than minor repairs and upkeep, Hume said. The Alliance has been struggling to survive financially in the past few years.

The Capitol rents the theater to local schools and businesses to increase profits.

“The bottom line is, we want to stay open,” Hume said.

Smith said he’s noticed the culture around the arts change from it being a valued industry for the public to being unimportant.

He recalled attending shows at the Capitol in the 1980s.

“I treated it as a privilege,” Smith said. “It was always a big deal for me, and I still think that.”

David Young, head of Western’s department of theatre and dance, said he doesn’t think the performing arts are in a cultural decline.

“I believe the way people receive their entertainment has divided and changed … Theater is very good at adapting to the change in public opinion,” he said.

Hume said she thinks that change is the key to survival.

“We are focusing on our youth theater more than ever to keep the Capitol fresh and current,” she said.

The Capitol Arts Youth Theatre performed The Crucible, a play about the Salem Witch Trials, on Friday and Saturday.

Currently, the Capitol is planning two shows for Halloween. At 3 p.m. on Oct. 31, the theater will host an orchestra concert called “Halloween Spooktacular,” which will feature Halloween themed songs, Hume said. At 10 p.m. that night, they’ll show the movie cult classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

The Alliance is also relying on fundraisers to support the theater.

The Alliance hosted its annual community fundraiser, Rocktoberfest, on Saturday in Circus Square at 601 State Street.

Hume said they hadn’t counted all the donations from the event, but they were expecting a huge gain from last year’s $5,000 income from the event.

The event features live music and food donated from local restaurants.

The Alliance also hosted a letter-writing campaign during the summer called “Keeping the Capitol Lights On.” It raised about $10,000, Hume said.

She said the Alliance has no plans for another large fundraising campaign but is continuing to accept donations.

“The Capitol is a staple of Bowling Green,” Hume said. “It would be irresponsible of us to let it go easily. We’ll be here until the very end.”