EDITOR’S NOTE: This story first appeared in August 2021.

CALUMET — The Board of Directors of the Calumet Theatre has become an increasingly contentious issue among village residents, theatre members, and even members of the Theatre Board itself. That may come to an end soon, however, as the Village Council has begun to take steps toward terminating the lease with the company.

The topic was on the agenda of the regular August Council meeting at which, Trustee Elise Metz told the board that it is time for them to consult an attorney in the matter.

“I started drafting a 45-day notice today,” she said, “and then I realized if we put something in writing without having an understanding of the full extent of what we can say, we might be putting ourselves into a corner and I don’t want to do that.”

According to the Calumet Theatre website, the non-profit company operates the “Calumet Theatre presenting professional entertainment and offering the facility for community use. Continues the process of restoration of the building.”

The mission statement on the site states that: “The Calumet Theatre Company is committed to offering a quality entertainment experience that provides diverse cultural and artistic opportunities while preserving the historic character of the Theatre.”

Typically, as the Keweenaw Community website’s Calumet Theatre page states, the theatre presents over 60 shows per year, serving 16,000 people annually. The theatre hosts classic and family films and performances ranging from high school plays and local theatrical productions, to world-class entertainers such as Arlo Guthrie, Gaelic Storm, Little River Band, and Lee Greenwood.

Matz told the council that the lease does permit termination if certain criteria are met, such as lease violations which, she said there are. These include commercial kitchen equipment stored in the ballroom; non-payment of rent; along with finance issues associated with work on the building the theatre is conducting. The kitchen equipment mentioned was donated to the theatre in 2020.

The Aug. 8, 2020, edition of the Daily Mining Gazette published an article that quoted then Executive Director Marlin Lee as saying that one of the board members, in partnership with a restaurant, was able to secure donations of some “really top-notch kitchen equipment.”

The article went to state that among the kitchen equipment donations is a new, restaurant-grade, gas-fueled range, with eight burners. None of the donated equipment was installed, however, because the final plans for the kitchen renovation did not allow for the installation of such equipment.

The kitchen equipment is still stored in the ballroom, and the Village Council wants it removed from the property.

“But I think there’s a larger issue,” Matz said. “It is that the theater is in a public trust and right now, (and) with the board being as dysfunctional as it is, they’re not doing their due diligence to the community.”

The board is not putting on shows, she explained, and they are not “playing the role we expect them to play.”

A page called “Advocates for the Calumet Theatre” was created on a social media platform about a month ago, stating:

“In April, Marlin Lee, executive director of the Calumet Theatre, was fired in a decision by the Board of Directors. This decision was made on a whim, without a proper plan in place to ensure the theatre would successfully continue to operate. In support of Marlin, and in protest of the poor leadership of the theatre, the remainder of the staff resigned.”

The page goes on to allege that since April, the theater has been “limping along” with no long-term staff in place.

“The board has taken this time to feed misinformation and lies to the public and village,” the page alleges. “The theatre company has violated their lease with the village, resulting in a 45 day notice of non-compliance being sent to the theatre company. The board has shared little to no communication with the community, as they have continued to make poor and reckless decisions that are harming the theatre.”

Jacob Mihelich, an administrator of the Advocate page, posted on Aug. 10, 2020, that a Theatre Board member informed him that” “Tonight the board of the Calumet Theatre Company is taking a vote as to whether or not board members will be able to share information about the theatre with the public.

“Members of the Board of Directors are meant to be the voice of the membership and advocates for the theatre. Anyone who would propose or support such a thing is in strong opposition of what is just and right.”

An Aug. 21 post on the Advocate Page stated that the writer had purchased tickets for the Joe Nichols concert that was originally scheduled for Oct. 30, 2020, but was postponed because of the pandemic. According to an Oct. 20, 2020 release by Marlin Lee, published in the Daily Mining Gazette, the Nichols performance had been rescheduled from Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, to Thursday, May 27, 2021.

“The date change is necessitated by State of Michigan Safe Start Phase 4 restrictions, which currently allows only 20% audience capacity for venues like the Calumet Theatre.,” Lee said in the release. “Advance ticket sales have already far exceeded those limitations, and are still selling, heading towards a near to complete sell-out performance.”

Nichols still has not appeared at the Calumet Theatre, nor does his events page suggest he will, but the author of the post said she has been unable to get a refund for her tickets, which totals $165.

Council Trustee Rob Tarvis responded, saying, “You are not the only person that has had a problem getting a refund. I would start with Shannon (Richter), she is the board chair.”