Summer & outdoor theater / Downtown Coldwater (Branch County)
Tibbits Opera House
Coldwater's 1882 opera house, designed by Detroit architect Mortimer Smith. It calls itself the second oldest operating theatre in Michigan: pro summer theatre, plus concerts, films and kids' shows year-round.
Quick facts
- Opened
- 1882
- Architect
- Mortimer Smith
- Style
- French Second Empire
- Resident companies
- Tibbits Summer Theatre · Tibbits Popcorn Theatre
- Formerly
- Converted to a movie theatre in the 1930s (Art Deco facade)
01 / Playbill
Now on stage
Nothing on our calendar from this venue right now. Its full, current lineup is on its own site.
Full lineup on the venue’s site ↗02 / The story of this place
Make time for these
Tibbits Opera House went up in downtown Coldwater in 1882 to designs by Detroit architect Mortimer Smith, with a French Second Empire facade. In the 1930s it became a “modern” movie house with an Art Deco tile front, then closed in the 1950s and was nearly demolished. The Coldwater Players, the Sweet Adelines and others stepped in and formed the Tibbits Opera Foundation and Arts Council, which bought it in 1962. A horseshoe balcony, box seats and the proscenium arch survive, and restoration to the original design has been under way since a 1998 feasibility study. Each summer the professional Tibbits Summer Theatre stages a repertory season, and year-round the house hosts concerts, films, the children's Popcorn Theatre and an art gallery.
- Standing since 1882, by a Detroit architect
- Horseshoe balcony and box seats
- Professional repertory theatre in summer
Plan your visit
The theatre is at 14 S Hanchett St in downtown Coldwater. Need a wheelchair space? Request it when you buy tickets or pick it online. Events are at tibbits.org, or call (517) 278-6029.
Accessibility
Wheelchair spaces (blue on the seating chart) must be requested when buying tickets or chosen online.
A closer look
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