Michigan Theater
7 upcoming events · Ann Arbor, MI · 603 E Liberty St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
The Michigan Theater opened in 1928 as a movie palace and has been continuously operated since, though the operating model shifted in 1979 when the non-profit Michigan Theater Foundation took over the building to save it from demolition. The 1,700-seat main auditorium retains the original ornate Spanish-Mediterranean interior. The venue programs first-run art films, indie cinema, classic film series, plus a year-round schedule of concerts, lectures, comedy, and special events.
The Michigan is the primary partner venue for the Cinetopia International Film Festival, the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and the U of M's School of Music, Theatre & Dance. The Penny Stamps Speaker Series — free public lectures from artists, designers, and writers — runs on Thursdays during the academic year and is one of the strongest free programming series in Michigan. Films screen daily; concerts and lectures are evenings.
Practical notes: parking is in the public structures on Liberty, Maynard, and Fourth Avenue ($5-15 evening rates). The theater is walking distance from U of M's central campus and downtown Ann Arbor's restaurant scene. The State Theatre next door (sister venue, also run by the Michigan Theater Foundation) hosts smaller-scale film and event programming. Concessions inside the Michigan are full bar plus the standard movie-theater snack menu; ushers seat patrons for sold-out shows.