The Mendel Center in Benton Township has made some changes to its business model to reduce its risk of losing money on the shows it hosts.

Lake Michigan College Vice President of Advancement and Community Impact Doug Schaffer tells us due to generally declining ticket sales since the pandemic, the center will now charge performers a rental fee for use of its Jenkins Theater. They would also pay a fee to use the Mendel Center ticketing system.

Schaffer says the new model is more in line with what many for-profit venues do.

“ It’s a rental-only venue, and that just means that touring artists or production companies can look to the Jenkins Theatre as a venue to have their performers be available to the community, but they take on all the risk of the good or the bad associated with ticket

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