Kalamazoo State Theatre to Close This Month as Current Owners Seek Venue’s ‘Next Stewards’

Venue has several events lined up before closing May 28, including Kalamazoo Civic Theatre’s ‘The Music Man’

The building that houses the Kalamazoo State Theatre will soon be for sale, as the current ownership group led by Craig Hendrick is seeking to pass the torch to new operators.

Hendrick, contacted by phone Tuesday, said the decision comes after a “long discussion” he and his partners have had over the years, and that the time had come to find “the next stewards” for the venue.

Several events remain before closing

But before the venue closes on May 28, there are still a handful of shows scheduled to take place on the State’s stage.

This includes Kalamazoo Civic Theatre’s production of “The Music Man,” which runs May 19-28, as well as Kalamazoo Philharmonia’s Masterworks III “Scheherazade” on May 20-21.

The theatre will also host a final “Throwback Thursday” screening of “The Princess Bride” on May 25, and a "Farewell to the State" event on May 28, featuring performances by several past State acts and a screening of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Hendrick said.

The events will serve as a “celebration” of the theater’s history, and an opportunity to say thank you to patrons, Hendrick said.

While Hendrick said he couldn’t speculate on what the future holds for the building once it’s sold, he added that it was his “sincere hope” that it would remain a performing arts venue.

“We hope that whoever takes over the building will hold on to that legacy,” he said.

Kalamazoo State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick St., opened in 1927 as a vaudeville house, and later became a movie theater. The building was purchased in 2006 by a group of Kalamazoo residents, who renovated the venue and reopened it as a performing arts space in 2008.

Over the years, the theater has hosted a variety of acts, including concerts, plays, comedy shows and film screenings.

And at the end of the month, the curtain will close on another chapter in the State Theatre’s history.