Summer & outdoor theater / Traverse City
Parallel 45 Theatre
Closed – archive entry
Traverse City's professional theater company, best known for its summer festival of rotating plays and musicals on its own outdoor stage in Civic Center Park, with food vendors, a bar and live music.
02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
Erin Anderson Whiting and Kit McKay founded Parallel 45 Theatre in Traverse City as a professional theater company. It was best known for its summer festival of rotating plays and musicals on its own outdoor stage in Civic Center Park, with food vendors, a bar and live music. In its 13 years it staged 36 productions, 16 play readings and 6 newly developed works and employed about 500 professional artists. Citing post-pandemic drops in theater attendance and income, the founders announced on the company website that it could not continue financially and would close permanently.
- Summer festival on its own outdoor stage
- 36 productions in 13 years
- Employed about 500 professional artists
Plan your visit
Parallel 45 has closed permanently, so there are no more performances. For live theater, check the open stages in our guide.
Theaters nearby
Back to theaters ↗Broadway & big houses / Traverse City
City Opera House
An 1891 Victorian opera house in downtown Traverse City with about 680 seats, presenting singer-songwriter, roots, bluegrass and jazz concerts.
Community theaters / Traverse City
Old Town Playhouse
Traverse City's community theater, in a 1903 church that became a playhouse in 1975. A 277-seat MainStage, a Studio Theatre, youth and senior companies, and about 160 volunteer ushers.
Community theaters / Petoskey
Little Traverse Civic Theatre
The volunteer community theater of Petoskey and the Little Traverse Bay area since 1945. Along with its season, it stages an annual Rocky Horror Picture Show shadowcast at local cinemas.