The Lyric Theatre in Harbor Springs is turning 10 this summer. But the history of the Lyric and movies in the town goes back much further.
Originally inspired by an earlier Lyric movie house that operated in Harbor Springs until 1981, the current theater opened in 2016 as a nonprofit, community-supported theater along Main Street. It was developed through local fundraising efforts aimed at restoring a year-round cultural attraction that could help boost downtown activity.
Today, the Lyric Theatre is a community gathering space and cultural anchor for Harbor Springs and the region, drawing both local residents and visitors from miles away. It hosts first-run, popular movies as well as family classic films from the last several decades. The theater has shown musical documentaries and concerts by artists like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. It also hosts educational and ecological films, which is made possible because of its nonprofit status, said Lyric Theatre Executive Director and Board President Scott Langton.
“Education is our charter and we can (host) some of the films and (documentaries) we do because we’re not for-profit,” he said. The theater is funded by private, corporate and community donations, grants and ticket sales.
“We’re part of the community. We’re open every day, including Christmas and New Year’s Day,” Langton said.
By the time the Lyric Theatre officially turns 10 in July, it will have hosted more than 400,000 guests despite a slowdown at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that made it difficult to stay open, Langton said. It only had 12,000 guests in 2020, as opposed to a normal 45,000 yearly average.
The Lyric Theatre is showing many of the most popular movies this spring, including “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.” Despite the fact that R-Rated “Deadpool & Wolverine” was the theater’s most attended film in the last 10 years, Langton said they generally draw a much larger and diverse audience for family films rated PG and PG-13.
“We get a lot more referrals for those films, and not as many when we show (Academy Award-winning) films,” Langton said.
Its donors are making it possible for the Lyric Theatre to remain a viable entertainment option for years to come, helping to support the cost of pending renovations. The Lyric Theatre will be adding two micro-cinemas seating less than 20 guests to add to its three normal-sized theaters. The micro-cinemas will provide an even more luxurious film experience for a premium price, with cutting-edge speakers, 4K laser projections and other high-tech features.
Providing unique experiences will continue to be the Lyric Theatre’s unique selling point, Langton said. He plans to listen to feedback and suggestions from visitors and ensure that he doesn’t save the most popular movies for the busy summer months. Langton plans to run most films and documentaries for a minimum of two to three weeks.
“We’ll be here as long as we maintain our base of amazing donors and supporters,” Langton said.
Learn more about The Lyric Theatre and see what’s playing now at lyricharborsprings.org.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Lyric Theatre celebrates 10 years of movie magic in Harbor Springs
Reporting by M. Alan Scott, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
