The Calumet Theatre

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The Calumet Theatre is a historical theatre in the town of Calumet, Michigan, opened on March 29, 1900, with the show "The Highwaymen," on tour from Broadway. The theatre soon attracted attention from America's finest actors, actresses, and other theatre greats, such as Frank Morgan (later famous for his roles in The Wizard of Oz), Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Lon Chaney, Sr., John Philip Sousa, Sarah Bernhardt, and Madame Helena Modjeska (see below), among others.

As time wore on, the theatre began to lose popularity, due mostly to the decline of the local economy and the increasing popularity of movies. Starting at this time, the theatre converted to a motion-picture house, serving in this medium until the 1950s. Summer stock theatre was brought back to the Calumet Theater in 1958, and performed there every summer until 1968. In 1972, Michigan State University took control of the theatre, restoring the auditorium for its re-opening in 1975. The exterior of the theatre was restored in the years 1988-1989.

Today, the Calumet Theatre is home to as many as 80 theatre-related events a year. An estimated 30,000 people visit the theatre every year in these events. The staff consists mostly of volunteers, though there are five full-time staff members. The Calumet Theatre is also a National Historic Landmark.

[edit] Ghost stories

Some of the visitors to the Calumet Theatre hope to catch a glimpse of the reputed ghost of the theatre, Madame Helena Modjeska. The story of the ghost first emerged in 1958, when an actress named Adysse Lane claimed that the ghost of Madame Modjeska appeared to her during a performance when Lane had forgotten her lines. Since then, it is said that Madame Modjeska is seen in the actors' dressing rooms, and her presence is felt in the vicinity of her portraits.