Montgomery music documentary to screen at Capri on Feb. 20

  The documentary "Commit to the Song: The Joe Thomas Jr. Guitar Pull" will have a hometown screening on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at the Capri Theatre. The screening begins at 5:30 p.m. General admission is $10 or $8 for Capri members. Immediately after the screening, a reception will be held at the Cloverdale Playhouse.

  “Despite deaths and amputation, original music continues to flow from a little community theater in the heart of the South” reads the film’s synopsis - the “little community theater” being the Cloverdale Playhouse in Montgomery. The Joe Thomas Jr. Guitar Pull is a regular songwriters event at the theater and will soon enter its seventh year.

  “I first performed at the event in November 2013, and since then I heard stories about how it all started and the tragedies surrounding it, and I decided to explore that story in film,” said Josh Carples, the film’s director.

  “The Cloverdale Playhouse is incredibly proud of the Joe Thomas Jr. Guitar Pull,” said Sarah Thornton, the artistic director for the Cloverdale Playhouse who also appears in the film. “Josh's documentary tugs at the heartstrings as it explores the history of the event and those who helped build it. This is a story that should be told.”

  The Capri Theatre is located at 1045 E. Fairview Ave. in Montgomery. The Cloverdale Playhouse is located at 960 Cloverdale Rd., about a block away from the Capri.