Photography by Don La Barre

OUR MISSION
Thunder Bay Theatre, Inc. is a year-round, non-profit theatre and performing arts organization committed to providing consistent, high-quality productions, educational opportunities, and additional arts and cultural events utilizing a professional company augmented with volunteer talent.

OUR PURPOSE
Thunder Bay Theatre, Inc. shall be structured and organized for the purpose of:
a. Cultivating and educating young artists, with a focus on Michigan talent.
b. Pursuing professional standards and expectations.
c. Engaging the community.
d. Embracing creativity.
e. Exploring, educating, and discussing topics of diversity and inclusion.

Board of Directors

Anne B. Gentry, President
Sarah Fritz, Vice President
Barb Bourdelais, Treasurer
Lisa Larkin, Secretary 
Sarah Fritz
Paul Kraft
Jessica Luther
Ashley Peterson

Contact Us

By Phone: 989.354.2267
By Email: [email protected]

Join Us

Interested in volunteering with Thunder Bay Theatre? We always welcome volunteers with a variety of backgrounds and experiences to be a part of our organization, whether it be helping out at events, helping us fundraise, or becoming a Board Member. Please contact us with the information above and we will be in touch! 

Guiding Documents

TBT BY-LAWS

Annual Financial Report

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Our History

Thunder Bay Theatre began as Thunder Bay Summer Theatre in 1967, operating as a summer theater out of Alpena Civic Theatre's (ACT) facility on River St. in Alpena, formed by Keith Titus. In 1977, Thunder Bay Theatre officially became a non-profit entity because of the work of Clarence & Joan Dailey and Sonya & Keith Titus, following a five-year hiatus of no summer productions after Alpena Community College withdrew its financial support due to budget constraints. In 1982, Thunder Bay Theatre had its first year of year-round productions after hiring B.J. Love as our first Artistic Director.

One year later in 1983, TBT purchased and renovated our current home at 400 N. Second Ave. in Downtown Alpena, a nearly hundred-year old building that previously housed Alpena Cigar & Candy Factory. The season kicked off with The King & I. Keith & Ginny Titus continued to direct and produce shows, and Ginny opened the Creative Arts Center to offer training to young people.

Over the years, TBT has faced its difficulties to exist as a non-profit professional theatre. In 1985, Ralph Diethelm (manager of WATZ and member of TBT’s Board of Directors) and Roy Beard (announcer) conducted a radiothon fundraiser, rescuing TBT from certain closure due to lack of operating funds. In 1993, facing debts of over $16,000, a building in need of major repairs and very limited financial backing, the Board struggled with the decision of whether to close the theatre. Because of the commitment of volunteer Board Members throughout our history-- and sound and supervised fiscal management-- TBT has overcome these challenges. In 2011, our mortgage was paid off in full, and generous gifts and donations have allowed us to to continue to update our building and provide high-quality theatre and performing arts opportunities to our community.

Our most recent chapter began with a devastating fire to our neighboring building in Summer 2020 that completely destroyed the historic John A. Lau Saloon. Because of the heroic efforts of our local firefighters, our theater was spared from the fire-- but suffered smoke and water damage throughout the building, including a near-complete demo of our 2017-renovated lobby.  Over the last two years, our Board of Directors has been working to develop a plan to not only repair the damage but completely renovate our building, including tuck-pointing the historic brick on all facades, renovating the six upstairs apartments, repairing the lobby, and providing necessary updates to our heating, cooling, electric, and plumbing systems. We plan to announce these plans soon!

​Until then... on with the show! 

The Thunder Bay Theatre Story

Shows Since 1983