The Michael Baughman Theatre in the Potter Center on the campus of Jackson Community College has been home to the Michigan Shakespeare Festival since 2004. Originally designed to house the Michigan School of Arts in the late 1970s, it is the ideal venue for the Michigan Shakespeare Festival to stage its live theatre productions.

Gerald Blanchard, a Michigan Shakespeare Festival board member, author, actor and director, was a consultant on the design of the theatre. The former head of the Michigan School of the Arts and drama department at Jackson Community College, Blanchard helped design a theatre that is a model for live productions and teaching. For many former students, the theatre was a springboard to success in professional theatre.

The theatre’s advanced acoustical design allows every one of the 403 audience members, including those in 10 wheelchair spaces, to hear every spoken word with equal intensity while maintaining closeness with the performers. A computerized lighting and sound system, including speakers, spotlights and additional stage lights positioned on interconnected catwalks above the seating area, are state-of-the-art. Comfortable seats and stadium-style seating provides unobstructed views of the stage and performers

The modern stage has three trap doors in the floor, two stage entrances through the seating area and counterbalanced pipes used to fly scenery, curtains, stage lights and even performers. Raised platforms on both sides of the stage expand the theatrical space and are often used to create greater intimacy between the performers and the audience. The orchestra pit operates similar to an elevator and can be raised to stage level to increase the size of the stage.  Every detail of the design provides audiences a perfect theatrical experience. The Michigan Shakespeare Festival organizers and performers strive to do the same.