The Show Must Go On
The Michigan Theater and State
Theatre, located in downtown Ann
Arbor, have been home to countless
movie screenings and performing arts
events for the Ann Arbor and U-M
communities in their respective 93 and
79 years of operation. The pair of historic
theaters, operated by the Michigan
Theater Foundation, have faced a year
rife with challenges brought on by the
COVID-19 pandemic.
In early March 2020, as COVID-
19 began to take hold in the state, the
Michigan and State theaters closed their
doors as per an executive order signed by
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The closure was
intended to last for two weeks, but as the
pandemic worsened, the theaters stayed
closed indefinitely, with the marquees
displaying reassuring messages such as
“Flatten the Curve, See You Soon,” “Good
Health to All,” and “Thank You Frontline
Heros.”
Through the pause, the theaters
offered virtual screenings, custom
marquee messages, and concessions
to-go.
Nevertheless,
the
theaters
averaged a weekly loss of $10,000, and as
of September, the theaters had suffered a
total loss of more than $1.3 million.
One of the theaters’ primary sources of
support during the pandemic came from
local community members, who rallied
together to contribute via memberships,
donations and sponsorships. Although
the theaters were able to reopen in
October 2020, they quickly had to close
back down due to a statewide order in
November.
In late January 2021, the theaters
were able to reopen for limited in-person
screenings. The Michigan Theater
symbolically reopened with the film “A
Hero for a Night,” which played at the
original opening of the theater in 1928.
I visited the theaters in April during a
sparsely attended matinee screening. As
masked patrons entered, they were faced
with temperature checks, hand sanitizer,
distancing markers, and plexiglass
barriers.
Inside the theaters, there was room
for distancing, as the ticketing system
guarantees at least six feet of space for
each patron and attendance is capped at
50 percent. The concession stands were
notably empty and the water and soda
fountains closed, in part because masks
are required in the theaters.
When the film started, employees
wiped down surfaces in the lobby, and
tended to tasks, such as changing poster
displays and the text on the marquee.
Although the movie-going experience
was significantly different, patrons said
they were excited to get back out into
the community and begin a return to
normalcy.
In a January interview with MLive,
Russ Collins, CEO and executive director
of the Michigan Theater Foundation,
remained optimistic about the theaters’
futures, while acknowledging it may
take time for some to be comfortable
attending in-person screenings.
“The reason that television and
subsequently streaming and DVDs and
all of those kind of things didn’t put an
end to going out (to) the movies is not
because you can watch something at
home,” Collins said. “It’s about going out.
There definitely is a future.”
10
Thursday, May 13, 2021
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MULTIMEDIA
DOMINICK SOKOTOFF
Daily Staff Photographer