ANN ARBOR, MI - Through the decades, the State and Michigan theaters have found endless community support in becoming Ann Arbor institutions, Russ Collins said.
Collins, Michigan Theater executive director, is hoping the community can come through once again for the theaters, as they struggle to maintain operations without ticket or concession sales expected through June due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A GoFundMe with an initial $100,000 goal was started Friday, April 3, to help the theaters make up for what is expected to be more than a $1-million loss in net revenue during the closure. Collins said both theaters have a total operating budget of $6.5 million.
The crowdfunding description indicates the theaters are in a “vulnerable, potentially tragic situation," with funding helping the theaters to pay utilities and keep some workers employed. After just two hours Friday, the GoFundMe has raised nearly $10,000.
“The Michigan and State theaters rely on operating revenue in the same way as we do contributor revenue,” Collins said. “Our earned income, which tends to be in the $4 million a year level, has fallen to essentially zero. That puts a pretty big dent in your budget.”
The theaters had tried to remain open in the early stages of the COVID-19 spread, with staff members working to mitigate contamination concerns by cleaning and disinfecting “frequently” and “diligently." The State Theatre also had switched to general admission tickets in order to allow patrons to “spread out” in the auditorium.
An executive order requiring Michigan residents to “stay at home” on March 16, however, forced all movie theaters statewide to close operations temporarily.
Collins doesn’t dispute the need for the theaters to be closed during this time “for the greater good.” But, during a time when people are being asked to support a wide variety of worthy causes, he hopes supporters realize the nonprofit has tried to run a prudent business operation while being thoughtful about how it is incurring costs and saving funds.
“I don’t know what the next three, six or 12 months hold for the Michigan and State theaters, but I do know we have a community that embraces and supports a tremendous range of organizations,” Collins said. “I know there is a lot of goodwill in this community in supporting all of those things in ways that are meaningful.
"We hope enough of this community appreciate what we are and what we do on a daily basis that, as things progress and we look to open up after all of this subsides, the support will allow us to maintain operations during a period of great distress.”
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