Todd Burge, Peoples Bank Theatre talentbuyer, left, presents Chuck Sulerzyski, right, with a framed ticket for Pat Benatar’s performance with a photo of the brand-new theater marquee. (Photo provided by Michelle Waters)

MARIETTA — Peoples Bank Theatre celebrated a milestone, both in performance and leadership, at the Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo concert on Tuesday, May 27.

The theater celebrated and honored Chuck Sulerzyski, who retired last year as president and CEO of Peoples Bank.

The Benatar-Giraldo performance was booked as a retirement gift to Sulerzyski as they are among his favorite performers.

Dan Stephan, a local businessman who cared deeply for Marietta and the theater, had a dream that the theater would reopen to be the premier entertainment destination in the Mid-Ohio Valley.

“Just over a decade ago, the theatre house was silent. It was an empty shell — gutted, without seats – and with no certainty of what would come next. And now, after almost 10 years, Peoples Bank Theatre has hosted 500 events– concerts, plays, community gatherings — all because a few key people believed in the potential of this historic space. One of those people was Chuck Sulerzyski, ” Todd Burge, Peoples Bank Theatre’s Talent Buyer, said to the audience before the show.

In 2011, Sulerzyski had just arrived in town to take on his new role at Peoples Bank. He toured the gutted theater at the invitation of former Executive Director Hunt Brawley and current board President Dan Harrison.

After that tour, Sulerzyski looked at them both and said, “we need to make this happen.”

Peoples Bank stepped up with a transformative investment — one that ultimately led to the reopening of the venue in 2016 as the Peoples Bank Theatre.

The staff, board members, and volunteers at Peoples Bank Theatre, as well as the community at large, are grateful for Sulerzyski’s vision, leadership, and passion for live entertainment and the performing arts, a release from the theater said.

To mark the occasion, Peoples Bank Theatre presented Sulerzyski with a framed ticket for Benatar’s performance with a photo of the brand-new theater marquee.

Peoples Bank was the show sponsor and made it possible for the theater to have its knife board and digital marquee sign that were installed earlier this year.