Crystal Theatre Crystal Falls Michigan

The Crystal Theatre, originally known as the EJAY Theatre and later the Aldo Theatre, is a historic performing arts center in Crystal Falls, Michigan. Built in 1927 as a vaudeville and movie theatre by E.J. Bregger, it was named after him. Silent films were accompanied by live organ music, and the venue hosted traveling vaudeville acts regularly.

After the vaudeville era ended, the theatre was sold to the Delft movie chain and later to Aldo Zaupa, operating as a cinema through the 1970s until its closure in the early 1980s. In 1989, volunteers began restoring the theatre, which reopened in 1991 with a production of *Our Town*. The restoration included installing a vintage pipe organ, purchased from another venue and rebuilt by the M.P. Moller Company. This organ is the largest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, featuring three manuals, 21 ranks, over 1,600 pipes, and tuned percussion. Originally built for silent film accompaniment at Illinois College of Music in Chicago, it also incorporates pipes from a Brooklyn theatre organ. The theatre also houses a Steinway Model D grand piano.

Today, the Crystal Theatre hosts two concerts monthly during summer, preserving its legacy as a cultural hub.