page_title: Tibbits Opera House
section_title: Tibbits Summer Theatre
hierarchical_section_title: Tibbits Opera House / Tibbits Summer Theatre
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture from On Broadway musical at Tibbits Opera House, summer 2010.
context_page_description: The Tibbits Opera House is a historic performance venue on South Hatchett Street in downtown Coldwater, Michigan. Built in 1882, it is the second-oldest theatre in Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.
context_section_description: Tibbits has long sought to present the best possible theatre for Branch County and the surrounding area.  For 45 years since 1966, Tibbits Summer Theatre (TST) has brought professional theatre by stock company to Southwest Michigan and the tri-state area.  USA Today has even named Tibbits one of "10 great places to see the lights way off Broadway."
  Yet the first two years of summer stock at the newly restored Tibbits, beginning in 1964, were produced by the American Theatre Festival.  Mostly made up of theatre professionals from Indiana, the group presented a large season, with a new show opening every week.  The comedy "The Solid Gold Cadillac" was the opening production, followed by nine other plays and one musical.
  By 1966, Tibbits executive director Larry Carrico decided that Tibbits itself would produce the season.  Musicals became the stock-in-trade and are still the staple of the Tibbits season.  While Tibbits has produced the biggest names such as "Show Boat", "South Pacific", and "Fiddler on the Roof", it has also been instrumental in introducing audiences to lesser known gems such as "Lucky Stiff", "Hi-Hat Hattie", "Baby" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change."
caption: The cast on stage during On Broadway: A Modern Songbook in June 2010.
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