March 20, 2012
History of the Calumet Theater krysten Cooper News Editor The Calumet Theater first opened on March 20, 1900 with a sold-out showing of The Highwayman as the only municipal theater in the United States. The Theater was a huge success when it was built and even though the Theater is less popular now, it continues to host a variety of interesting shows. From a classical performance of the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra to Led Zeppelin covers, the Calumet Theater has something to offer everybody. Perhaps even more amazing than the performances, however, is the stunning interior and rich history of this historic building. When the Calumet Theater first opened it was known as the Red Jacket Theater or Red Jacket opera house. This is because Calumet used to be known as the Village of Red Jacket.
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The town council of Red Jacket originally scoffed at the idea of a Theater. There was already one Theater in the town and a second seemed like a waste of money. Many people were much more interested in the erection of a new town hall. After many arguments between council members, it was decided that the taxpayers should make the final call. After all, their money would be funding either project. To the surprise of many, taxpayers voted for the Theater and a legend was born. When the Theater was first constructed, it also had the nickname of Red Jacket Town Hall, referring to the conflicts around its construction. Throughout the height of the Theater’s existence it saw many famous performers and sold out shows regularly. However, one of the most remembered of these performances was that of Madame Helena Modjeska. She appeared at the Calumet Theater playing Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
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On the opening day of ticket sales for the performance, all of the tickets were sold out in less than an hour. The ticket sale office was total chaos and people were given numbers to wait in line. This was the quickest the Theater had ever sold out a performance. Modjeska’s performance
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lived on in much more than just ticket sales, however. It is rumored that her ghost haunts the Calumet Theater. There is a picture of Modjeska hung at the back of the Theater, and whenever the picture is taken down, strange things begin to happen such as lights turning on and off
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when nobody touched them. The first sighting of the ghost was by a young actor named Adysse Lane. She forgot her lines while performing on the Calumet Theater stage and stood there silent until she noticed a ghost high Continued on page 2
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