2026 Impact100 TC $120,000 Grant Recipient.
The Bay Community Theatre has been a cherished movie house for over 75 years and will continue to show great movies to thousands of community members for years to come. The reality, however, is The Bay faces the same major challenges confronting all movie theaters. Specifically, the extended impact of Covid, disruptive Hollywood strikes, and the explosion of programming available via streaming have all hurt movie theatre attendance and profitability. Since the pandemic, 5,000 screens nationwide have gone dark, including the Bijou in Traverse City. Across the country, ticket sales at movie houses are down 16% since 2019.
The Opportunity: Unlike many movie theaters, The Bay Theatre has a full performing arts stage so it has the potential to expand its impact in the community by offering more and better quality live events. In addition to the physical stage, the theatre also has backstage “green rooms” and excellent acoustics for live events. Recent experiences have proven that, on average, our live performances are many times more profitable than our movies and create a real impact in the restaurants and retailers nearby. Surveys, focus groups, and interviews with community members have shown enthusiastic support for more live events at The Bay.
So why do we need this grant if we already have live events? Although The Bay Theatre has a full stage, the theatre lacks the full sound, lighting, and other auditorium equipment needed to execute top quality live events without hiring expensive contractors and rental equipment. Furthermore, the time and logistics of securing and setting up equipment from third parties requires extra preparation and downtime for the theatre. Renting sound and lighting equipment requires 3-5 hours of staff time per event and does not always offer the quality we need. Furthermore, to ensure a quality patron experience, we are also including in this project a new heating & A/C system to replace an unreliable nearly 30 year-old system. Our existing system has required costly repairs and professional inspections indicate it must be replaced soon.
So why not just use the sound system we have for movies? Our cinema sound equipment is specifically calibrated and dedicated for movies. Live events require a parallel system for stage sound for the audience, sound monitors for the artists on stage, microphones, and mixing and control interfaces. We also do not have a full lighting setup for live events nor equipment to stream in content such as guest speakers to accompany films or community events.
The Impact: The Bay will continue to be a popular place for movies but with enhanced live event capabilities, we can expand our schedule of live performances, improve the quality of the shows, and reduce the operating costs and complexity of our operation. This shift to more live events will benefit many (thousands) of people in our community each year and enable us to reach a wider variety of community groups. As one of the only year-round performing arts venues in Leelanau County, The Bay Theatre is an important anchor bringing the community together with shared experiences. Importantly, The Bay Community Theatre can not survive financially on movies alone so the addition of profitable live events are key to remaining viable for our future. Growing our audiences with profitable live events is a key strategic priority in the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan of the Bay Community Theatre.
Check Out: The Bay Community Theatre Wishlist & Website
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