Christine Delaney had girlhood dreams about becoming a Radio City Rockette, but pivoted when she heard about a new degree called arts management.
Thankfully for the creative community in the southern Michigan town of Coldwater and its historic Tibbits Opera House, Delaney was attracted to the business side of the arts. The former dancer who grew up on Detroit’s east side has been the executive director of the small-town opera house for 25 years.
She ushered the historic building into the new century in more ways than one.
Her commitment to preserving the history of the 144-year-old opera house and continuing to make it a valued entertainment destination in Coldwater are the reasons Delaney is one of our 2026 Michiganians of the Year.
The Detroit native does the less glamorous, behind-the-scenes work so that talent can bask in the spotlight and entertain patrons at the storied 526-seat theater.
“Artists need to concentrate on being creative, and that’s what my job is, to make it easy for creatives to do their thing,” she said.
“We’ve done some marvelous things programming-wise. It’s making the community recognize the importance of the arts, and that it’s not just an extra. The arts and this building, and what it provides to the community, is integral to the quality of life. It’s integral to the education.”
The robust calendar is what keeps people coming back to the opera house, one of the state’s oldest theaters. There are community productions like “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Rock of Ages” being performed this summer, as well as a “popcorn theater” for kids and live music concerts.
Delaney is also extremely proud of the major renovations that have kept the opera house a storied destination, namely the 2013 restoration of the French Second Empire façade.
“It was an ugly building,” she said, adding that people asked why they didn’t just tear down the standalone structure and build something new. “To really realize the history here is so important. It’s been a journey.”
Barton S. Tibbits opened the opera house in 1882 and sold it at a huge loss two years later. Various owners operated it over the next few decades, when the stage hosted all manner of shows, including a bare-knuckle fight by champion John Lawrence Sullivan in 1885.
The Tibbits became a movie theater in the 1930s and was empty by the mid-’50s. It was brought back to life in the 1960s, but the real restorations didn’t start until Delaney came on board.
“I just love the exterior and the way it’s been restored to its original beauty, and I hope that we can also go further and get the interior (updated),” said Diane Pridgeon, a retired Tibbits Opera House board member, retired music teacher and a Coldwater native.
“In the ’60s in this town, there were several old buildings that were taken down,” Pridgeon said. “I think in the ’60s, maybe they thought that progress was building new. So we lost several churches, and fortunately, Tibbits was salvaged.”
She says it’s Delaney’s knowledge and likeability that have helped get the funds needed to keep the ancient building going, even with the required updates that aren’t as dazzling as the restored exterior.
“Now we are facing things that have to meet code and find support in the community for expenditures that don’t necessarily show grandeur, but it’s necessary,” Pridgeon said. “I just think it speaks well of Christine’s tenure here that people trust that these things are necessary and vital to having a theater in our town.”
Pridgeon says having a theater nearby is especially valuable for younger members of the community.
“I recently ushered for a production company that came in for ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and the ninth graders were dazzled by the level of acting and the performance,” she said. “I think it says a lot when students can get off their screens and see live theater.”
Delaney said she’s surprised how much she’s learned about the value of preservation in this line of work, and how important it is to do it correctly.
“Take your time. Make sure that you’ve got your plan and that you’ve got the experts who really know what to do. Too many historic renovations have been well-meaning but poorly executed.”
“We really are preserving this theater,” Delaney said. “It’s 144 years old. We want to be here for another 100 years.”
Christine Delaney
Age: 63
Occupation: Executive director, Tibbits Opera House
Family: Husband Ken, two adult sons
Education: Eastern Michigan University, bachelor’s degree, arts management
Why honored: For helping the Tibbits Opera House flourish through artistic growth, historic preservation and community engagement.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Opera house director keeps historic small-town gem in the right light
Reporting by Melody Baetens, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Melody Baetens, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
