Vicki Sloan-Wade has volunteered at the Michigan Theatre for 18 years and has fond memories of visiting as a little girl, when admission cost 35 cents.
- Steve Tucker is officially reinstated as Executive Director of the Michigan Theatre of Jackson.
- Michigan Theatre leadership held a press conference on Friday with optimism for the future.
- Jackson community members are excited with the return of Tucker.
"Coming back here just brings back childhood memories. And they were great," Sloan-Wade said.
But when Executive Director Steve Tucker was dismissed in January, the future of the theatre looked uncertain.
A Friday press conference at the theatre provided some clarity. Attorney and co-chair Phil Curtis took the stage to introduce the new executive director — and Tucker walked out to an ecstatic crowd.
"Ecstatic!" Sloan-Wade said, describing her reaction to seeing Tucker return.
Curtis said the road to reinstatement was not easy.
"It was very stressful, it was a lot of hard work, a lot of hours. But we're very excited. We're pleased we were able to achieve everything we wanted to achieve," Curtis said.
An emotional Tucker told the crowd the community was the most important thing for the theatre's future.
"We plan on coming back quickly and hard. And we're gonna work hard to make everybody in this community happy," Tucker said onstage.
Sloan-Wade said she hopes Tucker's return will rekindle the excitement she says she hasn't felt for the past several months.
"Oh absolutely! Absolutely! It does every time I walk through the door," Sloan-Wade said.
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