Soo Theatre Project, Inc. has revived the historic Soo Theatre building and created a home for the arts in downtown Sault Ste Marie.
After purchasing the building in March of 2003, the Board of Directors, Steering Committee and many volunteers went to work to solicit donations, put on fundraisers, clean, haul junk, take down damaged ceilings and walls, publish and distribute information, write grant proposals, paint, and stabilize the building and make it presentable. In 2004, non-profit status was obtained and a State of Michigan Cool Cities grant was awarded to the Project. The grant, leveraged by donations from local individuals and businesses and work done by hundreds of volunteers, allowed Soo Theatre to renovate four former storefronts and start an arts education program called STARS.
In September 2005, STARS opened with a part-time director and ten highly qualified artists teaching classes and private lessons in dance, piano, harp, voice, strings, flute, and acting. About 100 students took classes for the first term. The faculty continues to maintain quality instruction in private lessons and classes and offers opportunities to learn in music and theatre arts for all ages.
Soo Theatre has offered professional artists a chance to use their talents and earn money in the arts. The energy and networking of these artists at Soo Theatre has spawned many programs and enhanced the arts for everyone. Concerts, recitals, and community events have included performances by STARS youth orchestras, a New Horizons Adult String Orchestra, youth and adult cello groups, and youth chorus. STARS faculty and students have been involved in countless shows, from small concerts and recitals to benefits for community organizations. Recently a Chamber music ensemble has started with musicians from STARS faculty and the community. A community band is also being developed.
In addition, STARS has provided the opportunity for children and adults to enjoy day camps each summer, exploring the arts and presenting student productions on the stage of the Soo Theatre. These camps include persons of all ages, from 3 to 83. In the history of the camps, approximately 120 students participate each summer. The camps include a pre-school camp, a combined elementary through high school musical theatre camp, an elementary musical theatre camp, an elementary arts exploration camp, a vocal and opera apprentice program for youth and young adults, a beginning and advanced string camps, and a chamber music camp – all directed by STARS faculty and guest artists who have come to participate in operas, Broadway shows and dance performances here. New camps have been added over the years. In 2019 a Musical Theatre camp was added for acting singers and an Inclusion camp for persons who are neuro-diverse. Young artists from our programs and from university art programs have had the opportunity to intern and hone their skills as assistants in the camps.
In 2005 the block wall dividing the theatre auditorium into two movie theatres came down with the help of in-kind services from businesses, volunteers and community service workers. The stage was revealed and the auditorium could be used once again as a live theatre venue. The first production in the theatre, in August 2005, included many local musicians and an original play in celebration of the Soo Locks Sesquicentennial. The audience sat on folding chairs. As mentioned above, the STARS program also started in 2005. Since then, studios for instruction and an auditorium for performing have meant an integrated program in the performing arts has been available to everyone in the area. Since the summer of 2006 there have been more than 95 performances on stage, some running for multiple days.
Each year since 2007 a major Broadway musical has been presented at Soo Theatre. Shows included Annie, Oliver, South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Carousel, Fiddler on the Roof, Little Shop of Horrors, Camelot, The Music Man, The Wizard of Oz, Grease, and My Fair Lady. These shows have given people from all over the Eastern Upper Peninsula a chance to work under professional directors. Full operas have also been presented, including Hansel and Gretel, Magic Flute, Die Fledermaus, Cosi Fan Tutte, Giani Schicchi, Marriage of Figaro, LaBoheme, Carmen, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, and Madama Butterfly, with resident and guest artists singing the lead parts and choruses made up of local singers from the vocal apprentice camp. Since April 2015 Soo Youth Theatre has presented productions with the entire cast made up of kids ages 8 to 18. Shows have included Annie, Jr., Beauty and the Beast, Jr., Little Mermaid, Jr., and Lion King, Jr. and Aladdin, Jr.
Musicians from all over the area have played in orchestras for both the Broadway shows and the operas, giving the performances the advantage of live accompaniment. Other performances on the Soo Theatre stage have included bluegrass, Celtic groups, guitar virtuosos, barbershop, the Sault Symphony, contemporary groups, jazz ensembles, variety shows, an original short play, dramas, and more. The auditorium has been used for singing competitions, seminars, and shows from organizations renting the space. Classic films have been shown. The first Soo Film Festival took place in 2014 and continues each fall, presenting original films around the theme of the Great Lakes.
The Soo Theatre auditorium, dressing rooms, and projection booth have seen many upgrades over the years. Electrical systems have been upgraded, plaster walls have been sealed and holes filled. Stage rigging has been brought to code. Sound and lighting continue to be upgraded. In 2017-18 five of the six roofs on the building were repaired, replaced, and one new roof installed thanks to Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs capital grant awards and matching funds from local businesses and individual patrons. Several repairs adjacent to the roofs were also accomplished as part of the “Raise the Roof” Campaign, which included several special benefit performances in the theatre.
In November of 2006, Soo Theatre received an incredible windfall from the owner of Mackinac Crossings Theatre when that theater closed. The generous gift included seats, stage rigging, lights, sound equipment, curtains, costumes, props, and sets (valued at nearly $400,000). The seats were installed by volunteers in 2007 allowing the audience to sit in comfortable seats to view shows at the Soo Theatre. Most of the other equipment has been installed and used since 2008. However, some of it now outdated and new equipment is being installed as it becomes affordable. A capital grant award from MCACA and community matching monies has allowed some new sound equipment to be installed.
Our season runs from April through early November due to limited heating and insulation in the auditorium. Our education program also has limitations because of lack of space. Plans for a major capital campaign to restore and renovate our entire building have been worked on for some time. An engineer has assessed the needs and documented repairs needed to the outside of the building. Two
architects have worked on floor plans and produced drawings for the inside. The Board of Directors has voted to start a major campaign to raise the money needed to restore the entire building to realize the full potential of our programming. The campaign was to start this spring and summer. Everything has been put on hold, and Soo Theatre has adopted a survival mode for now. Lessons and classes have been happening on line and our creative faculty is planning to do what they can for camps and possible workshops virtually this summer.
The Soo Theatre presently operates with volunteers overseeing some of the business functions of the organization. A volunteer Executive Director, a hired part-time bookkeeper and an office administrator handle the day-to-day details. Much of the marketing, fundraising, sponsorship services, and many other details are handled by volunteers, working with the small staff. The Artistic Director oversees the planning and execution of the productions. The Education Director oversees the planning, scheduling, and many details of operating the arts education program. Soo Theatre has been able to pay these two persons in recent years, thanks to the operating grant awards from MCACA.
The technical director is a part paid/part volunteer position. In addition to receiving some compensation, everyone on the staff also volunteers a considerable amount of time to accomplish our mission. As new Board members bring different skill sets, and trusted and newly recruited volunteers work with the organization, new committees form to move the organization forward.
Funding for the Soo Theatre comes from tuition, ticket sales, concession sales, and individuals and businesses contributing to the annual fund, Belong to Something Big. Several fundraising events, benefit performances, and community clubs and organizations also help to raise money to keep the building operating and maintained. Grants from the City of Sault Ste. Marie Youth Recreation Council, from the Chippewa County Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Council, and from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs have been awarded for several years now. These awards help to maintain a scholarship fund to help students who otherwise could not afford lessons, classes, and camps. In addition, these funds help to pay our key personnel and pay the license fees for our major shows.
The importance of the arts in Sault Ste. Marie, indeed for the entire region, is being recognized. Soo Theatre continues to strive to fulfill our mission to foster the enjoyment, understanding, and development of the performing arts in the Eastern Upper Peninsula through diverse and engaging cultural experiences.
