Ontonagon is one of the oldest towns on Lake Superior, first settled in 1843 and visited by an odd mix of the famous: Mary Todd Lincoln, Prince Napoleon, Civil War Generals Phil Sheridan and George Meade (who was working on the harbor when called to war), Herbert Hoover and a fake Elvis. This 165-year-old village of 2,000 now boasts one of the finest entertainment venues in the Upper Peninsula in a building half as old as the town.
After World War I, an Ontonagon business group lobbied for a building honoring township war veterans. Voters agreed, passing a bond issue, 448-194. Opened in 1924, the three-story Memorial Building housed township and village offices, which had been scattered in several storefronts. Other users were the American Legion, library, wedding parties, theater groups and a district court. It featured an auditorium with stage, and a never-used, heavily fortified projection booth, built to protect patrons from the highly explosive nitrate film used in early movies.
Historian Andy Lockhart said the main floor, with its chairs removed, was home court for the semipro Blue Devils basketball team made up of former high school stars. A 1939 Ontonagon Herald reported the team was shunned for several years by rivals who refused to play in this odd place.
“But this year, school officials made it possible to use the new high school gym, and with that, Ontonagon’s application for a franchise in the league was approved,” the paper stated.
As the building aged, its character and appearance changed. A government agency took over the auditorium, dividing it into offices and a hallway. The third floor, blocked off by a locked door, began deteriorating from lack of use. The ceiling was falling in, hardwood floors were buckling, junk piled up. When the second floor tenant moved out, the seediness spread. Village offices vacated, too. The township considered knocking the building down.
But Carol Reid of Ontonagon had other ideas. She and Lockhart toured the upper floors, and it wasn’t easy.
“To reach the auditorium on the second floor, we had to squeeze through a crawl space in the balcony,” Reid said. “To reach the area under the stage, we had to climb a steep set of stairs from the first floor. There was no bathroom there, no heat, no water, and junk everywhere.”
Carol stood on the bare stage and looked out into the dark theater.
“I remembered being on that stage for high school plays,” she said. “I envisioned a theater full of people. I could almost feel my parents standing next to me, saying ‘Do it!’”
She and like-minded citizens gathered in December 1997 at the home of the late Royce Willman to plan the resurrection of the top floors as a state-of-the-art community and regional theater. The others present were Janet Wolfe, Tom Strong, Dana Brookins, and later, George Pestka. This pioneer group formed the Ontonagon Theater of the Performing Arts (OTPA).
With zero money, a mountain of work, but incurable optimism, the hardy band plunged in. Contractor Norman Pestka tore down the temporary structures, saved the good wood and insulation, and hauled the rest to a landfill, that allowed free dumping. Using the salvaged wood, the stage was extended ten feet to bring the performers closer to the audience. The result was a forty-nine-foot-by-forty-nine-foot surface, complete with wings. Then ceilings and floors were repaired.
Lack of money became a real problem. Businessman Tom Lee offered his grant-writing skills to prepare a successful request for $29,000 in seed money from the Michigan Council for the Arts. Subsequent requests were written by board members, ultimately providing about $400,000. The Arts Council told the OTPA it appreciated how they planned their dream project in logical steps.
Among those steps was main floor seating. They ordered 342 seats with 1920s-type styling, which were installed so no view is blocked. A sample chair with sales information was placed in local businesses to raise funds. The $250 chairs were sold at $250 so the outlay was recouped. Buyers get to put a memorial plaque on the chair back, which appealed to groups, clubs, families, high school classes, even casts of long-ago plays. Former resident John Harry gave the fund-raiser a huge boost by buying twenty chairs. Now, all but fifty have been sold. The sponsored seats, says the OTPA, will “provide a lasting memorial for a loved one.”
In addition to grants and chairs, a financial angel appeared in the person of Dr. John H. Reiger, a sociology professor at the University of Louisville, who spends summers in Ontonagon doing research. Reiger bought chairs in honor of local citizens who helped him. For this and other generosities (improving acoustics and lighting), the John H. Reiger Award was named for him. The most recent recipients were Betty and Dale Parent of Ontonagon, whose late daughter Jennifer was a country music singer in Nashville. The Parents sponsor an annual talent show named for Jennifer.
Reiger’s donation for acoustics underwrote the expenses of Dr. Mohan Rao and his Acoustics and Noise Control class at Michigan Tech, which undertook the job as a class project. Before the change, Reid said a stage band would blow you right out of the place.
The lighting and acoustics are first-rate, the stage is big enough for any challenge and the seats are stunning. A baby grand piano on stage, a spinet on the main floor, chandeliers (including one in the bathroom) and professional dressing rooms are among the niceties. A large cork board holds posters, playbills, photos and other memorabilia. There is a loading dock at stage level, and handicapped access to the main floor. These moves stayed the wrecking ball.
A great venue needs great shows. Reid handles bookings, bringing in top area and regional acts. The varied menu includes drama, opera, ragtime, swing music, military band, rock, classical piano, dance troupe, ballet (The Nutcracker is coming) and country music. For the latter, former Ontonagon disc jockey Dr. Bruce Stratton (known nationwide as Dr. Bruce) brought a whole busload of performers from Nashville. The stage closes from mid-December until early spring to allow for in-theater work projects. It also is rented in-season for beauty pageants, school functions and other shows.
The performances merit professional reviews in the local paper, just like Broadway. These are provided by a retired music teacher, band director and brass player named Bruce Johanson, who has covered all but two of the shows (he missed one because of a funeral and sent his son-in-law to cover the other). Johanson parks in the front row, takes notes and photos, interviews the talent and laces his constructive reviews with knowing comments on production values and audience reactions.
Johanson said his detailed comments emphasize his support of a community cultural center, encourage the performers and crew and spread the word about this unique facility.
“The acoustics work took the bounce out of the room,” Johanson said. “Lengthening the stage also helped, because sound was getting trapped on the stage. This theater is beginning to get quite a reputation among performers as a good place to work, and they love the great dressing rooms.”
Reid is OTPA president, Wolfe vice president, Brookins secretary, and Renee Picotte treasurer. Dave Bishop is the technical expert, assisted by Jim Jessup. Sylvia Lehto heads staffing and arrangements. All the workers are volunteers.
The season isn’t over yet. In months to come, the theater will host a swing band, the musical Gypsy, dance troupe, magician, Finnish storyteller, variety show, classical pianist, ragtime show, the Jennifer Parent Memorial and the U.P. premiere of the movie Palo Pinto Gold, which has theater supporter Dr. Bruce in a bit part.
The OTPA still is working down debt for some of the improvements, but as Reid said, “every little victory fills us with enthusiasm.”
—Larry Chabot

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