Theater group finds a home at Citadel

• For more information about The Citadel Stage and the Enter Stage Right theater group go to http://www.thecitadelstage.org.
• To donate to the theater group go to http://www.gofundme.com/The-Citadel-Stage.

Enter Stage Right will be entering The Citadel Stage when it opens in 2016.

The Citadel Stage is part of the redevelopment of the Citadel building at 609 Huron Ave. in Port Huron.

“The theater will be the permanent home for Enter Stage Right, but other groups will also have access to use the theater for other shows and events,” said Regina Spain, Enter Stage Right executive director. “It will be a community venue so hopefully it will be filled every weekend.”

Enter Stage Right is best known for its summer Shakespeare festivals called Will on the Water. Lacking a permanent home, it has been staged in Port Huron, St. Clair, Smiths Creek and more.

“We have been gypsies since our beginning,” Spain said. “We have done production events in warehouses and in parks.”

Dave and Georgina Witt are responsible for the planned rebirth of the building.

The family announced in March plans for the 12,000-square-foot building that included six lofts on the upper floors, two ground-level retail spaces facing Huron Avenue and the theater facing Superior Street.

Total investment is estimated to be $1 million while creating 20 full-time-equivalent jobs.

Spain said this summer Enter Stage Right plans to return to Port Huron to stage a full Shakespeare production to boost the troupe’s visibility in the city in advance of the theater opening.

Spain said the theater group is working with the Witts to transform the theater portion of the Citadel building into a “black box” venue.

“A black box venue is a large open space with maneuverable seating and staging,” she said. “It allows us to set up the stage and seating however we want it for each event. We can set it up for a dinner theater or to host a band or have proscenium seating.”

Spain said currently the theater group is working on applying for grants to help fund the theater group’s performance needs.

For more information about The Citadel Stage and the Enter Stage Right theater group go to http://www.thecitadelstage.org. To donate to the theater group go to http://www.gofundme.com/The-Citadel-Stage.

Contact Nicole Hayden at (810) 989-6279 or nhayden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @NicoleHayden_TH.