Tibbits Opera House almost returned to normal for 2022 season
COLDWATER — Tibbits Opera House has finally seen a complete theater year post-pandemic.
“I finally can say it was a normal year," board president Chris Donbrock said at the nonprofits annual meeting Thursday evening, Jan. 26.
With revenues cut by COVID-19 closures and a move to outdoor socially distanced summer venues since 2019, treasurer Ken Norton said, “we are not flush with dollars, but we are on the upswing.”
Executive Director Chris Delaney said audiences are back, but “our number of people served is only 55%” of the 2019 season. This is typical of historic theaters in the nation which last year averaged between 50% and 70% of pre-pandemic crowds.
“I think with the very mainstream, very popular programming for this next year for 2023, it is a crowd pleaser,” Delaney said. “I'm really excited that might be what we need to bring more people back to the theater, to get them back into the habit.”
The summer stock show series is the main draw for the historic 1882 venue, which saw 64 Tibbits events last season with another 29 community, private, or partner events.
The use was up from 43 shows in 2021 and 50 in 2020. This was below 2019 when 107 events used the theater.
Last year, the children’s Popcorn Theater returned. Musical groups and comedy entertainment again filled out their presentations.
Delaney said the summer stock shows reduced cast size to cut expenses, but she hopes to return to pre-COVID-19 cast sizes this summer. In 2021, programming costs were slashed by 60% to stay within revenues.
In all Tibbits was used 210 days in 2022 compared to 284 in 2019.
Prior story Tibbits to present Kids Summer Theatre Workshops in July
Delaney explained the revenues from the shows do not cover the expenses. It is grants, donations, memberships, and other fundraising which covered nearly 75% of the 2022 revenues of $1,016,159.
In 2022 there 458 individuals and corporations contributed $143,691.
Another group of people and corporations last year gave $223,325 for restoration work on the theater.
“We have been chipping away at the restoration of this building project by project,” Delaney said. Since 2012 when the original facade was restored, the nonprofit has invested $4.4 million in the facility.
“That's pretty impressive and a lot to be proud of, a lot of hard work,” Delaney said. “We have a long way to go.”
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In the last two years in-building audience fire alarms and LED lighting was installed. Currently, dressing rooms are under renovation on both floors behind the stage. “We will have invested nearly a million dollars into this building since the facade.”
Tibbits Opera House serves not only the Branch County community. It draws from a wide region bringing in tourists to Coldwater.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Tibbits Opera House returned to normal for 2022 season but audiences were down
