Council renews lease to return theater productions to Ledges Playhouse

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Ledges Playhouse in Fitzgerald Park, Grand Ledge, MI

Adriana Cortese

Theater is expected to return soon to Ledges Playhouse inside Fitzgerald Park in Grand Ledge. The bulletin board that usually announces play schedules is empty due to pandemic-related shutdowns.

Grand Ledge City Council has renewed a lease with Over The Ledge Theater Co. for the historic Ledges Playhouse, after the group halted productions for several months during the pandemic. 

Over the past six years, Over The Ledge Theater Co. has occupied the space in the city’s Fitzgerald Park, doing performances in the summer months and using it as a rehearsal space over the winter. The space has been temporarily closed, and the group has been unable to produce its regular performances since 2019. Its last show was “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” on Sept. 22, 2019. 

Over The Ledge Theater Co. Executive Director Joe Dickson asked the city council for a 10-year lease renewal. The council decided Sept. 27 instead to approve a lease for six months to see how the group would be able to restart its productions.

“Unfortunately, there has not been as many productions as there were in the past, and so we shortened the lease to see if there can be any progress moving forward,” Grand Ledge Mayor Thom Sowle said “We would like to see more productions.”

Ledges Playhouse has been a fixture of the Grand Ledge community since the mid-19th century as being a roller rink, a factory during World War II and event space. Local historian and long-time Grand Ledge resident Ethelen Herbstreit said that at the beginning of the Ledges Playhouse, the town used it for spiritual ceremonies. The building more recently has been used to host local plays, Halloween parties and even children’s readings. 

“It has created a local activity for many years in the community and surrounding areas,” Herbstreit said. 

Lynae Page, who moved to Grand Ledge in August, said she hopes to attend kid-friendly shows with her family and see what the historic landmark has to offer. 

“My kids ask about Ledges Playhouse every time we pass it when we come to the park,” she said. “My husband was even interested in trying out for a show there before it closed.”

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