The Historic Ironwood Theatre is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

Ironwood, Michigan Ironwood is a city in Gogebic County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, about south of Lake Superior. The city is on US Highway 2 across the Montreal River from Hurley, Wisconsin. It is the westernmost city in Michigan, ...

offering a variety of live theatrical, musical, and artistic performances as part of its programming. The theatre is a non-profit entertainment establishment owned by the City of Ironwood and operated by Ironwood Theatre Inc., a non-profit organization led by volunteers who serve on the Board of Directors.

History

Constructed in 1928, one of three movie houses in Ironwood at the time, the theatre presented

first run films In cinematic parlance, a film in its first run has been recently released. In North America, new films attract the majority of their theatrical viewers in the first few weeks after their release. In North America, different movie theatres pay di ...

and

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

shows. The first feature film shown was "

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

" (1927) starring

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

, Charles Rogers,

Richard Arlen Richard Arlen (born Sylvanus Richard Mattimore, September 1, 1899 – March 28, 1976) was an American actor of film and television. Biography Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Arlen attended the University of Pennsylvania. He served in Canada as a ...

and

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, a ...

. Notably, the same film was shown at the unveiling of the rededicated Barton Organ wit
Dr. Steven Ball
performing on September 18, 2010. The theatre continued as a movie and

house under the direction of A.L. Pikar through the

Golden Age of Hollywood Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s—the theatre flourished during these decades. Experiencing extreme financial difficulties in the late 70s, the theatre closed its doors in the spring of 1982. In 1982, owner Thomas Renn gave the Ironwood Theatre to the City of Ironwood through the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority (DIDA). The Ironwood Theatre reopened in 1988 as a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

cultural organization featuring a wide range of programming. In 2010, the City of Ironwood purchased the adjacent Seaman building, which it renamed the City Centre. The purchase provided the Theatre "with the concourse and additional space for an elevator, new restrooms, offices and even a catering kitchen." The City of Ironwood is developing plans to install handicapped bathroom facilities at the Theatre.

Design and architecture

The theatre was designed by self-taught Ironwood architect Albert Nelson and was constructed in 1928 at a cost of $160,000 (equivalent of approximately $2 million today). The architecture was modeled after the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( it, Rinascimento ) was a period in Italian history covering the 15th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Europe and marked the trans ...

style featuring hand-sculpted faux pillars and arched

proscenium A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...

style stage. The building seated 1,000 when it opened with 600 seats on the main floor and 400 seats on the balcony level. Due to many restoration efforts and improvements of the theatre's design, many seats were removed to accommodate for added luxuries including a handicapped accessible area, light & sound booth, and concession stand. The theatre now seats 732—480 seats on the main floor and 252 seats in the balcony. The chairs found in the theatre today are exact replica replacements of the seats originally installed.

The Barton organ

The Barton organ, happily nicknamed "The Grand Old Lady", remains in place on its pedestal where it was installed in 1928. The historic

theatre organ A theatre organ (also known as a theater organ, or, especially in the United Kingdom, a cinema organ) is a type of pipe organ developed to accompany silent films, from the 1900s to the 1920s. Theatre organs have horseshoe-shaped arrangements o ...

is a 2-

manual Manual may refer to: Instructions * User guide * Owner's manual * Instruction manual (gaming) * Online help Other uses * Manual (music), a keyboard, as for an organ * Manual (band) * Manual transmission * Manual, a bicycle technique similar to ...

, 7-rank, 499-pipe organ that is still completely playable. Restoration efforts on the organ began in 2000 under the direction of Dr. Tom Peacock. Volunteers were taught by experts on inspection and repair of the

console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

, pipes, valves, and wiring. Virtually all organ components were inspected and cleaned with replacements of all leather materials, which were in dire need of replacement. Much of the wire running from the switchboard to the console was replaced as required by electrical code—this included over 700 solder connections on the back of the console. After countless hours of volunteer work and thousands of dollars from grants and donations, the

Barton Organ The Bartola Musical Instrument Company of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA, was a producer of theater pipe organs during the age of silent movies. History The company was founded in 1918 by Dan Barton, who was from Amherst, Wisconsin. The sixth large ...

console returned from th
Carlton Smith Pipe Organ Restoration
company in June 2010, completing the restoration of the infamous organ console. The instrument is now completely playable. It was announced on Saturday, September 18, 2010, that the

American Theatre Organ Society The American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS) is an American non-profit organization, dedicated to preserving and promoting the theatre pipe organ and its musical art form. ATOS consists of regional member-chapters, and is led by democratically el ...

would like to open a chapter in Ironwood, Michigan. Plans to establish an Upper Peninsula chapter involve theatres across northern Michigan. Of the roughly 250 pipe organs built by the

Barton Organ Company The Bartola Musical Instrument Company of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA, was a producer of theater pipe organs during the age of silent movies. History The company was founded in 1918 by Dan Barton, who was from Amherst, Wisconsin. The sixth large ...

, the Ironwood Theatre Barton is one of an estimated 40 that are still in their original homes and is one of only six documented Bartons that are still playable. As of 2010, the Ironwood Theatre Organ is the most recently restored Barton.

Events, performances, and productions

The modern era of the Theatre includes performances from

Matt Giraud Matthew Scott "Matt" Giraud (born May 11, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and the fifth place finalist of the eighth season of the reality television series ''American Idol''. He was the first recipient of the Judges' Save. ...

(2011),

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...

(2009),

Duquesne University Tamburitzans The Tamburitzans (Formerly the Duquesne University Tamburitzans) are the longest-running multicultural song and dance company in the United States. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the company's members are full-time students who rece ...

Robin and Linda Williams Robin and Linda Williams are a husband-and-wife singer-songwriter folk music duo from Virginia. They met in South Carolina in 1971, and began performing in 1973. The Williamses appeared on Garrison Keillor's ''A Prairie Home Companion'' radio ...

, Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua,

Pine Mountain Music Festival The Pine Mountain Music Festival (often abbreviated PMMF) is a music festival held in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan each summer. The festival's schedule varies each year, typically including at least one major opera, a night of scenes fr ...

Dr. Steven Ball
Andrew Rogers (2012, 2013),

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

Hounds of FinnIronwood Dance Company

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popu ...

's musical "South Pacific", the musical "Chicago" and many other local, regional, and national acts.

H.I.T. Idol

On Thursday, November 17, 2011, “The Historic Ironwood Theatre Presents H.I.T. Idol” showcased 41 finalists who sang solos in a style similar to

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

, and six winners were selected to perform the following night as opening acts for 2008 American Idol finalist

. All of the finalists had an opportunity to sing backup vocals for two of Giraud's songs. In addition to the show focusing on the musical talent of local youth, H.I.T. Idol was a Historic Ironwood Theatre production with volunteers overseeing all aspects of the show.

Proscenium Mural

The

mural of the theatre displays a stunning 3-piece

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

painting by artist William Hasenberg. The mural was painted during the finishing stages of construction in 1927 to complete the theatre's grand scale look. During a

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...

in 1973, the mural and surrounding ceiling was painted with dark blue and white paint. The repainting was thought to have destroyed the mural until restoration efforts by muralist David Strickland proved successful in removing the blue and white paint without destroying the underlying mural. The 1994 restoration project restored the mural to its original look. The mural, now perfectly restored, catches the eye of every guest who steps into the

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...

References

External links

*
Official Site
"Kucera Appointed to Lead Ironwood Theatre Into New Era" (archive)
"TV 6 News," 06/08/2010
"Volunteers Renovate Ironwood Theatre" * {{National Register of Historic Places Theatres in Michigan Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Theatres completed in 1928 Buildings and structures in Gogebic County, Michigan Tourist attractions in Gogebic County, Michigan Event venues established in 1928 Cinemas and movie theaters in Michigan Performing arts centers in Michigan Concert halls in Michigan Silent film Movie palaces Music venues in Michigan 1928 establishments in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Gogebic County, Michigan Public venues with a theatre organ