A Step Back in Time
A community experience at Ann Arbor’s beloved Michigan Theater
—By Janna Vukovich
Walking down Liberty Street, students and community members of Ann Arbor are greeted with the twinkling lights on the trees, the many delicious aromas of the restaurants lining the block, and finally the glow of the lights and neon of the Michigan and State Theater marquees. When you step through the double doors of the Michigan and into the absolutely breathtaking lobby, the smell of sweet, buttered popcorn filtering through the air, you are at home in Ann Arbor.
Since March of 2020, many small-town theaters have closed their doors to keep their communities safe, and some have, and will remain unopened. Although they do not fail to put a smile on peoples’ faces when changing the marquee every week, the Sun Theater in my hometown of Grand Ledge, Michigan, though they have not officially announced a permanent closure, hopes of them re-opening weaken everyday. However, with the endless support of the community, the Michigan Theater Foundation remains strong and a staple of the Ann Arbor community.
The experience
“My favorite part of going to the movies is eliminating the distractions,” says current U-M junior Niamh Sullivan; “I get distracted at home, but at the theater it’s dark, you can’t pull out your phone, you can’t talk to your friends. I am never more engaged with a movie than watching it in theaters. The Michigan Theater definitely helps foster my love of the theater.” As a film-lover myself, I agree, and prefer to experience movies for the first time in the theater. I had the privilege of speaking with Becky Heldt, the Project Coordinator and Assistant to the CEO of the Michigan Theater Foundation, who offered an inspirational and insightful look into the workings behind the scenes. Heldt says, “When you see a movie, especially one you love, you know, like the big Spider-Mans, the experience of seeing it in a theater is something that never really goes away…. When you’re watching movies you love on a smaller screen, that’s an experience of its own, but I love coming to the Michigan specifically to see some of the movies I love, to experience it in a completely different way with others, to share that gathering experience.… There’s an escapism of going to the theater and that’s not something that will just dwindle.”
As movie theaters are starting to re-open, the Michigan Theater just doing so full-time this past August, they are faced with a new challenge: competing with online streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max. “As much as we all hate Zoom events, there was a big hit with the movie studios releasing movies directly to streaming services rather than movies to the theater. I think it’ll be some combination in the future that balances all of that—our mission is to provide a gathering space for the community, and to be here for the community—whatever that means in that post-pandemic future is very malleable right now… and it’s kind of exciting,” says Heldt.
A little history
Opening in early 1928, the Michigan Theater has provided entertainment for countless patrons of the Ann Arbor and University of Michigan community. The Michigan Theater, built for film exhibitions, once seated over 1,700 audience members, and houses Ann Arbor’s local treasure, the Barton Organ. Led by a group of organists and assisted by the community, the Michigan Theater Foundation (MTF), established in 1979, was created to protect the historic building from being destroyed or turned into commercial spaces, and to carry out the mission to serve as a gathering space for the community.
In operation since 1928, the Barton Organ is one of the few hundreds of pipe organs to exist since the 1920s, and one of about forty to still exist in its original house. The organ, played often before showings, can be requested for rental events, and is a historic treasure. There are currently five organists on staff.
The State Theater, opening its doors in 1942, was taken under the wing of, and purchased by the MTF in 2014 after threats of turning it into office spaces and condominiums. The beautiful, art deco-inspired, theater was renovated and reopened after this purchase in 2017 with four new cinema spaces and a recreation of the original carpet.
Community impact and outreach
The Michigan Theater Foundation is a unionized non-profit whose mission—“to bring diverse people together to build community, enhance understanding, and advance public storytelling and the arts, as we protect these two historic theaters”—is incredibly impactful in the moderately-sized city of Ann Arbor, especially among students of the University of Michigan community. The Michigan Theater continually works to be a safe gathering space for the city, even in the midst of a global pandemic. Other than requiring all guests to be masked, as of January, all guests must also be vaccinated, as well as the entire staff working at both theaters.
The MTF cares very much about their community, and their presence within it. Tickets are fully refundable or exchangeable until up to thirty minutes before the scheduled showtime (this is only allowed for films, and not special events). There are different levels of membership that individuals can purchase for benefits that, I believe, encourage a healthy amount of theatergoing, especially to get your money’s worth. These membership levels include different perks and discounts ranging from reduced ticket prices in-person and to the Virtual Movie Palace, to free popcorn and exclusive entry to members-only events.
The Michigan Theater Instagram is constantly up-to-date with what is playing at both the State and Michigan Theaters, as well as offering ways to engage with the theater and Ann Arbor community. “Seeing what is posted on the Instagram encourages me to go to the movies,” says Sullivan, “especially if they’re playing old releases.” The MTF blog offers insight and opinion (basically, movie reviews) on the current films playing at the theater. Also of note on their blog are announcements about events, as well as a behind-the-scenes podcast called “Behind the Marquee” that features staff, locals, and filmmakers. It can be listened to on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I asked Heldt how the MTF stays in touch with both the student population, and the rest of Ann Arbor. “People really love the Russ Collins radio,” she said. That is an area that we could and we’re working to get more traffic around because we have a really strong core audience that’s been tuning in, checking in and subscribing for a long time. But as communication expectations have been changing, even just the invention of TikTok at this point, changes how we engage with our audience. So things like blogs and podcasts, while they’re super popular, it’s super popular with one specific style of audience.” The current plan is to start working with new social media platforms, including TikTok, that will continue to elevate the Michigan and State theaters’ online presence and encourage attendance.
I asked both Heldt and Sullivan why they love the Michigan Theater, and why it is important to the Ann Arbor and U-M communities. Sullivan says, “One thing that we have been working towards since everyone being vaccinated is rebuilding our community, specifically the arts community, and one of the ways to share and celebrate that art is to go to the movies together. The Ann Arbor community is well integrated with the U-M community and the theaters help that relationship.” Heldt says, “Aside from the physical, just stunning nature of the buildings themselves, and the history that comes with it—not just considering that the buildings have been standing for one hundred years—but if you think about how many people have gathered in this building for that one hundred years, it’s awe-inspiring. And today seeing Spider-Man in this space, knowing that fifty years ago, seventy years ago, someone else was watching Casablanca. It’s about staying connected to your community in that way.” As a theater student myself, I could not agree more. It is incredibly exciting to be back in person creating, and to see what other artists in the community and the world are doing as well.
Cinetopia Film Festival
Produced by the Michigan Theater Foundation, the Cinetopia Film Festival is a staple of Southeast Michigan’s art scene that is returning this fall after taking a hiatus during the pandemic. Taking inspiration from film festivals including Cannes, Sundance, Tribeca and others, the MTF curates a ten-day screening schedule of over 120 films, with over 60 documentary films from all over the world. Audience members and attendees are able to participate further in the festival by voting on their favorite US and World narrative and documentaries; these winners are featured on the Cinetopia website until the next festival.
Community members can participate in the festival themselves, through the Detroit Voices short film competition. Aspiring filmmakers are able to submit their work, earn prizes, and participate in showcases and networking events, allowing them to connect with professionals in the industry.
Pandemic adjustments and impact
As we as a population continue to navigate the everyday and long-term struggles of living during a global pandemic, the MTF is pursuing new ways to keep the community engaged and excited about the arts. “The pandemic in that way is kind of a blessing in disguise- I hate that I even just said that—but we, like many organizations, have been granted this opportunity to plan, to really research, to dive into things, and have forced ourselves to be intraspective in that way as to what we are, and what we’re going to be—in the way that we commune and gather as people even when this pandemic is done,” Heldt says.
Available to anyone trying to avoid the crowds of people during the pandemic, or those who just want a cozy night in, the Michigan Theater offers a Virtual Movie Palace through their website. The Virtual Movie Palace features MTF originals that take you behind the scenes of some of the most beloved movies in American cinematic history. There are also featured documentaries available, often exclusive to members only, but the student membership rate is made affordable to university movie-lovers. “They tend to be either things we’ve produced ourselves or… very art house, very fringe, so they’re not dealing with license or contract issues… it limits what we’re able to produce, and what we’re able to show in that particular setting, but it also kind of forces us to go a little bit more in more direction or another,” says Heldt. Also inspired by the pandemic is Virtual Movie Trivia Night. Hosted weekly, teams or individuals can compete to win exciting prizes including free movie tickets, popcorn and merchandise. Teams that compete every week, have a chance to win their team name put onto the Michigan Theater marquee. Though it is currently not being hosted, the MTF hopes to bring the much-loved event back soon.
With the rise of streaming services, many folks have adjusted to staying at home to watch new releases, especially since many platforms will offer pre-release or same day options. Sullivan says that she has definitely gone to the movies less than before the start of the pandemic, but still manages to see one-to-two films at the Michigan or State Theaters per month. My hope, as is everyone’s, is to return to a new normal, one where we can gather safely and enjoy an experience as a community. The Michigan Theater Foundation shares their space with us and allows us to do just that. Sullivan says, “with streaming services, it’s become a lot easier to watch from home, but the choice is always lingering to watch something at home or in the theaters. My habit of going to the theater during the pandemic was broken, so building back that habit has been a process since I’ve been vaccinated.”
Featured Image: Michigan Theater Marquee, photo by Janna Vukovich