Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts
The Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts is located in downtown Muskegon in the U.S. state of Michigan. It houses the historic Frauenthal Theater, the Beardsley Theater, Clark-Cannon Gallery, several meeting rooms, and two rehearsal halls. The Center is a historical monument in Muskegon County, and is considered one of the best theaters in Michigan, outside of Detroit.
Events
Concerts, movies, and other events are held throughout the calendar year, such as the Miss Michigan pageant, West Michigan Symphony Orchestra, the Muskegon Film Festival, America's Tallest Singing Christmas Tree, and the Muskegon Civic Theater's productions. The Center is often home to traveling shows, or musical groups as well. The Frauenthal Theater has also become a popular venue for weddings and wedding receptions, due to the theater's large seating capacity and beauty.
History
The Frauenthal was built in 1929 as the Michigan Theater as a "100% all talking motion pictures" for $690,000. The theater seats 1726 people. The theater was closed from the early 1970s to 1976. It was purchased by a community foundation and renamed in honor of A. Harold Frauenthal, who provided a gift of funds to purchase the theater, an abandoned furniture store, and storage space, which were all adjacent to the Frauenthal. The Community Foundation for Muskegon County operated the Center through the 70's and 80's, however the theater lacked the dressing rooms and support spaces to properly run a show, so they transformed the abandoned furniture store into what is now known as the Hilt Building which houses the 170 seat Beardsley Theater, art gallery, dressing rooms, reception areas, meeting rooms, and rehearsal spaces.
Renovation on the theater was due once again in 1992, so the Community Foundation funded the creation of a $16 million master plan for renovations. After the bonds were passed, and everything was finalized, work began in 1998. The theater had been brought back to its original glory, along with safety and accessibility improvements. The lighting, sound, and rigging system's were all brought up to the highest current technology, as well as expanded to fit the needs of the theater. Additionally, a new lobby adjacent to the theater was added, featuring two levels, and connecting the foyer of the original lobby with the lobby of the Hilt Building. The Frauenthal Center for Performing Arts is now owned and operated by the Community Foundation for Muskegon County.