After two fires and a six-year hiatus, Thunder Bay Theatre is asking the Alpena community to help bring live, professional theater back to Northeast Michigan. The local nonprofit has launched a crowdfunding campaign that could provide $50,000 for the final equipment and furnishings needed to reopen its historic theater in Downtown Alpena.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Thunder Bay Theatre, Inc. announced the campaign Tuesday through Patronicity, a Michigan-based crowdfunding platform. If the campaign reaches its $50,000 goal by Nov. 14, the project will receive a dollar-for-dollar matching grant through the MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program.
Donations and project information are available at patronicity.com/tbayt.
What the campaign will fund
The theater building at 400 N. 2nd Ave. has been undergoing a $2 million renovation since 2023. According to the announcement, every inch of the building has been repaired or restored, leaving the project near the point of welcoming audiences back.
Campaign donations would pay for new stage lights in the auditorium, a lighting grid and rigging system, new speakers, a compatible sound board, wireless microphones and an assisted-listening system. The funds would also furnish the lobby so it can host year-round gatherings, public events and arts experiences.
The completed venue is expected to support a broad schedule of programming, including high-energy musicals, dramas, children’s productions, free arts programming and community events. In a typical year, Thunder Bay Theatre produces theater throughout the year, with musicals, children’s shows, comedies, dramas and educational programs for students.
A potential match for community donations
Public Spaces Community Places is a partnership involving the MEDC, the Michigan Municipal League and Patronicity. Through the program, residents can support community projects through crowdfunding, with MEDC matching funds available when campaigns reach their goals.
Thunder Bay Theatre Board President Anne Gentry said the organization is close to reopening but still needs help with the auditorium’s lighting and sound systems and with lobby furniture. MEDC Managing Director for Regional Development Paula Holtz described theaters as places that provide more than performances, including resources and community programming.
Dan Gilmartin, CEO and executive director of the Michigan Municipal League, called Thunder Bay Theatre the region’s only year-round professional theater and said the restoration represents an investment in both physical and cultural infrastructure.
Program track record
The Public Spaces Community Places initiative began in 2014. The MEDC has provided more than $15.7 million in matching grants as of Aug. 18, 2026. Since the program began, 450 projects have reached their fundraising goals, raising more than $17.9 million from 81,258 individual donors. Communities have a 97% success rate in reaching their goals and earning matching funds.
For Thunder Bay Theatre, reaching the campaign target would help complete the renovation and move the Alpena venue closer to opening night.