MY FAVORITE MOMENT IS EVERY MOMENT I’M DOWN THERE. WHEN WE DO A SHOW, THE THEATRE COMES ALIVE WITH ENERGY.

“working every summer since as a regional theater that “presents and preserves the unique culture and history of the Upper Peninsula and fosters the performing arts.”

To mark its 25th anniversary, this year’s season will open with a production of Beacon on the Rock (with some rewrites by Russell) July 5 to 8. The show begins with a group of contemporary high school kids discussing immigration in the late 19th century and expressing their own desires to live somewhere less isolated, somewhere more exciting. They know their own ancestors came to this area, and they wonder why they stayed.

“It’s an opportunity for people to talk about their own heritage,” Frazier said. “It’s an opportunity to tell their stories and share wonderful memories.” on the water,” said Frazier, who also served on the sesquicentennial committee. “But we also wanted to keep the theater magic. It’s live, it’s an intimate interaction, there are lights and sounds.”

The season will continue with this year’s Lightkeeper, Lake Superior Theatre’s annual fund- and friend-raising event, titled “Broadway at the Boathouse,” on July 10. It will feature Sandra Joseph, who holds the record as the longest-running leading lady in the longest-running Broadway show of all time. She portrayed Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera for 10 years and more than 1,500 performances and will be joined by her husband and Phantom co-star Ron Bohmer. The event is described as an “eclectic presentation” of Broadway and cabaret-style music featuring selections from Phantom and other shows.

A tent was proposed, but that didn’t seem practical. The weather was always a factor as well as how late it takes to get dark in the summer.

Eventually, the committee considered the boat house, which is owned by Frazier and her husband, Pete. According to Frazier, its acoustics were found to be “wonderful,” so they said, “Hey, let’s do it here!”

Pete Frazier’s grandfather, Maxwell K. Reynolds Sr., had built the boat house. Frazier agreed to rent it to Lake Superior Theatre for the summer season for just $1.

The first run of Beacon in 1999 sold out, and Lake Superior Theatre pressed on. The organization has been

Next on the schedule will be I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, a musical that examines the awkward, cumbersome and tricky nuances of dating life, directed by Leslie Parkkonen, July 11 to 15; Jersey Boys, a bio-musical inspired by the lives of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, directed by Eliisa Herman, July 18 to 22 and July 25 to 29; The Odd Couple, featuring two suddenly single pals, directed by Denise Clark, Aug. 1 to 4 and Aug. 6; and Honk! Jr., a contemporary retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling, directed by Caitlin Palomaki and performed by Superior Arts Youth Theater, Aug. 8 to 11, Aug. 13, Aug. 15 to 18 and Aug. 20.

The season will wrap up with “Superior Memories,” a week of onenight performances: “Lights, Camera, Marquette” featuring Jack Deo and Jim Koski narrating silent film footage from 1914 to 1949 accompanied by Bob Buchkoe on Aug. 21; “Broadway to Blues” featuring Tony Beacco, Ann Berchem and Keith Cahoon on Aug. 22; the Franklin Park Band on Aug. 23 and 25; and “Northwords and

Music” with B.G. Bradley on Aug. 24.

In a letter to supporters to commemorate the 25th anniversary, Frazier noted the importance of staging a variety of shows, some that focus on “conversations we need to have.”

“Theatre helps us understand what it means to be human, what we need to learn about ourselves,” Frazier wrote. “We like to think that by improving our community, we are improving the world around us.”

Reatha Tweedie, who is also a founding member of Lake Superior Theatre and currently serves as the board’s secretary, said she’s excited to see Honk! Jr. As the former arts and culture director for the City of Marquette, Tweedie oversaw the youth theater program for a time. But the show is also personal to her. “My grandson is 14 now, but I took him to that show when he was three,” she said. “He just loved it.”

Tweedie said she has seen a lot of local young people grow up at Lake Superior Theatre, where they can be part of the inner workings of a professional theater production. The theater also works closely with NMU students, some who choose to stay in town for the summer to work in a variety of different jobs, both on stage and behind the scenes.

“It’s a really wonderful experience for youth. It guides them into the future,” she said. “I’m proud of the success of it and that it’s still viable 25 years later. It’s a labor of love.”

One of the youth who grew up at Lake Superior Theatre is Jersey Boys director Herman, a Marquette native. She made her stage debut as Anya Petrov at just nine years old in a 2006 production of Beacon on the Rock and is now a director in addition to serving on Lake Superior Theatre’s board of directors. In between, she said she has worked with other theater organizations in the area and has even performed on the boat house stage with her husband, Alex.

“I love theater, and the boat house is very special,” Herman said. “They’ve created this space to create shows and magic in. Even people who don’t like theater want to experience it. And you can’t beat the sights.”

Though she’s directed shows since she was 18 years old, Herman made her LST directing debut with last year’s Something Rotten. She said Lake Superior Theatre had to apply for and was granted an exception for the rights to stage Jersey Boys, as it is currently touring nationally.

She said she’s excited for the show because it has a lot of the “best tunes.”

“Everybody will recognize the music,” she said. “And there are so many talented men in the community. It’s great to get them the spotlight they deserve.”

Herman praised Frazier, the theater staff — including Frazier’s granddaughter Petra — and the volunteers who help to make each show a success. “It’s a lot of work and not everyone is paid,” she said. “It’s a form of passion that’s really special.”

Frazier echoed Herman, saying that the theater has no paid administrative staff. The board also works to keep the shows affordable. Frazier said a family of four can see a show for less than $50. “We spend all of our money on our productions,” Frazier said.

She said it takes about two weeks of work for the boat house to be ready to welcome audiences. She described her husband as a “creative engineer” who has come up with various ways to turn the working boat house into a working theater. A lot of the transition work, which includes installing auditorium seating for 175 to 200 people (depending on the show), lighting and ramps to cover the boat house’s railway system, is done each year by members of the Marquette Breakfast Rotary, of which Frazier is a member.

In return, the boat house serves as the venue for the Rotary’s annual fish boil fundraiser, a five-star waterside dining experience. Over the past 20 years, Frazier said, the Marquette Breakfast Rotary has raised $800,000 that has been returned to the community for a variety of projects.

Frazier lauded the collaborative spirit of Lake Superior Theatre, from its continuing partnership with NMU to the actors, directors and crew members to the sponsors, including the Michigan Arts and Culture Council and National Endowment for the Arts, and “don-oars” who are recognized with boat oars on the back wall of the theater. She said the theater also contributes to the economic success of the downtown and Lower Harbor areas.

“My favorite moment is every moment I’m down there,” she said. “When we do a show, the building comes alive with energy. It’s worth all the time, effort and hard work. It’s the summer experience we all love to have.”

For tickets and information about Lake Superior Theatre, visit lakesuperiortheatre.com.