Barn Theatre

Located on a picturesque rolling hillside on M-96 between the cities of Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, the Barn Theatre retains its charming countryside setting and remains the perfect summer outing for the whole family!

We are one of the nation's oldest Equity resident summer-stock theatres as well as a longtime Michigan entertainment destination. Sixty years and nearly 500 performances under the same management is a benchmark nearly unparalleled in the theatre industry, yet it's a benchmark we boast at the Barn Theatre thanks to founders Jack Ragotzy, an Obie award-winning director, and his wife Betty Ebert Ragotzy. With $875 in their pockets, the Ragotzys founded the Barn in 1946 as the Village Players in nearby Richland. Three years later the company moved into its current home, an abandoned dairy barn, and became the Barn Theatre of Augusta, Michigan. Jack and Betty nurtured the Barn through the years until it became the success western Michigan enjoys today.

With the passing of his parents, Producer/Director Brendan Ragotzy continues their tradition of high quality theatre that audiences have come to know and expect from the Barn Theatre. No stranger to Barn operations, Brendan literally grew up in the business, from his walk-on debut in 1966's OLIVER! to his work as a stagehand, spotlight operator, stage manager, actor, director, assistant producer, and now Producer/Director. Brendan has directed many Barn shows including the all-time hit THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, as well as his original musicals BILLY THE KID and OLD TIMER, the latter of which received a highly successful New York reading Fall 2003. Combining his parents' attributes with his own practical expertise the Barn has an ideal leader for its second generation of Ragotzy ownership.