The Benzie County Players presents

Come From Away

September 11th-14th

  We're so excited to collaborate with the talented, long-running group Benzie County Players to present the Garden Theater's first musical performance!

Come From Away is a successful Broadway musical based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport. The characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and the stranded travelers they housed and fed.

Tickets are now on sale! Get yours at the link below.

The Garden Theater presents

Mad Angler Trio

September 17th @ 7pm

 We're excited to welcome back Crispin Campbell (cello), Steve Stargardt (piano), & Joe Wilson (guitar) to the Garden Theater stage after an incredible performance last year.

Joining them will be The Mad Angler himself, Poet Mike Delp, who will be reading poems from his Mad Angler series.

This will be an evening of music, storytelling, and appreciating our natural world.

Tickets are now on sale! Get yours at the link below.

September Movie:

Wet Hot American Summer

Tuesday September 22nd

@ 7:30pm

R i 1Hr 37 Mins i english

Set on the last day of camp, in the hot summer of 1981, a group of counselors try to complete their unfinished business before the day ends.

Join us at The Garden each month for a different throwback movie. Entrance to all Monthly Movie Club movies is FREE!

Stay tuned to learn about upcoming Monthly Movie Club picks.

Frontier to Freedom

Wilderness, Revolution, and Michigan's Path to Statehood

Thursday September 24th

@ 7:30pm

120 minutes i english

Frontier to Freedom is a historical documentary feature film that unearths the rich and often overlooked history of Michigan, tracing its evolution from a vast, untamed wilderness inhabited by Indigenous peoples in 1600 to its emergence as the 26th State in 1837. Through a blend of expert interviews, archival imagery, animated maps, and stunning visuals, the film explores the region’s formative years, its history of war and conflict on the American frontier, and the complex socio-political forces that shaped its path to statehood.

“Our goal is to reinspire patriotism and civic engagement in generations of Michiganders by telling the origin story of our great state in a bold and truthful documentary." - Writer, Director and Producer Keith Patterson.

Here:Say is Bringing Live Storytelling to The Garden Theater

January 30, 2027!

“Frosty Frankfort” will feature selected performers who take the stage to tell true, first-person stories that celebrate winter in Benzie County.

Got caught in a massive snowstorm while driving? Traversed Lake Michigan during a polar vortex? Created an ice skating rink in your backyard? Submit your story pitch about an experience you had during winter in Benzie at www.heresaystorytelling.com/pitch-your-story. Follow the prompts to tell us the actual story – not just what it’s about. Give us a sense of the story from beginning to end and why this experience was meaningful to you. Be sure to select “Frosty Frankfort” from the drop-down menu when submitting your pitch.

Kabie Stein of Here:Say Storytelling will be at the Garden Theater on Monday, September 28, at 6:30pm to provide a FREE storytelling workshop on how to tell a true story on stage.

For more details about the show or the story coaching process, email Kabie Stein at kabie@heresaystorytelling.com.

September Movie:

Breakfast At Tiffany’s

Tuesday September 29th

@ 6:00pm

PG i 1hr 55 minutes i english

A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.

Every month we will be showing a FREE classic film as part of our Garden Classic Movies series!

Stay tuned to learn about upcoming GCM picks.

S4: The Bob Lazar Story

114 min

FREE Screening on October 1st!

From jet engines to Los Alamos, Bob Lazar's life is rooted in science. In 1988, hired at S4 near Area 51, he reverse-engineered alien tech. Narrated by Lazar, this film uses exclusive footage to reveal America's best-kept secret.

AND, Bob Lazar himself will do a recorded Q&A based on the questions we give him! For anyone out there that wonders if...we are not alone, then here's your chance to ask him a question!

Submit your questions to us, by emailing friends@gardentheater.org. Email subject line - "S4: Bob Lazar Question"