Tibbits Opera House rolled out the red carpet and welcomed their volunteers in style on Wednesday night, September 24, for their annual volunteer celebration.
These volunteers bring the magic of theatre to life, and are an integral part of everything that the theatre does, from ushering at performances, to taking tickets, to working at the bar, helping stuff envelopes and a litany of other things which help Tibbits Opera House continue to operate day-to-day.
Tibbits is proud to be a part of the Coldwater and the Branch County community, and is proud of the community’s desire to be a part of Tibbits. Nowhere is that better exemplified than the hours that organizations like the Knights of Columbus (127 hours) or the Coldwater Kiwanis (106 hours) put in, giving back to the theatre.
Patrons encounter many of the Tibbits volunteers every time they attend a show at the historic theatre, with volunteers helping in the box office, serving as ushers, tending bar and more. In total, for Fiscal Year 2025, Tibbits saw over 150 volunteers log over 2,900 volunteer hours.
During the celebration, Tibbits also honored its Volunteer of the Year, Mary Sue Miller. Mary Sue logged over 90 hours this year, and has had a cumulative total of nearly 500 hours since she started volunteering at Tibbits in 2021, and has been a mainstay for Tibbits, working at 19 performances throughout the summer theatre season at Tibbits, a figure that represents 43% of summer theatre performances. Mary Sue did a little bit of everything for Tibbits, ushering, working at the Ghost Light Bar, folding programs and helping with bulk mailings for the theatre during the year. Congratulations to Mary Sue on this honor.
“We are so grateful for all of our volunteers and all that they do for us. We could make a strong case for any of our volunteers to be our Volunteer of the Year, as this theatre could not run without them,” said Tibbits Executive Director Christine Delaney.
In addition to Mary Sue’s honor, Tibbits also wishes to mention several other volunteers that hit milestones this year. Bill Trebilcock, the 2024 Volunteer of the Year, registered the most hours this year, based on current records, with 113. Linda Ives, the 2015 Volunteer of the Year, logged an impressive 97 hours. Mary Turner logged 93.5 hours, and Beth Harvey logged just over 86 hours. Tibbits is thankful for all their efforts. This year, volunteer Diane Riegel—the 2019 Tibbits Volunteer of the Year—also become the first volunteer to have logged over 3,000 cumulative hours. Tibbits also wishes to extend heartfelt congratulations to her on this achievement.
During the celebration, all in attendance enjoyed a scene from the upcoming Tibbits Young Audiences production of “Myth-Understood” which will run October 16-18. Tibbits Young Audiences shows are performed by area students in grades 4 through 8, who learn the basics of theatre, learn teamwork, discipline, self-confidence, theatre skills and an appreciation for the arts. All in attendance were thrilled to see the fruits of the children’s labors.
For more information about Tibbits Opera House and opportunities to volunteer, visit Tibbits.org, email volunteer@tibbits.org, or call 517-278-6029 during business hours.
