Theatre in the news

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Wayne State University to close historic Hilberry Theatre

By Duante Beddingfield Wayne State University will bid farewell to its Hilberry Theatre on Nov. 20, after the venue hosts its final performance. Over the past 58 years, more than 600 productions have been mounted in the space. Following its closing, it will be transformed into the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center. “There is a great sense of readiness, joy and anticipation that everyone is feeling,” said Mary Anderson, chair of Wayne State’s Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance. “We do not feel like we are saying goodbye to the former Hilberry space, so much as we are making way for the incredible opportunity to build the Valade, a world-class jazz center that will feature our extraordinary educational music programming and also welcome guests from all over the world.”
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Hilberry Theatre to host block of AIDS Memorial Quilt and raise funds for Corktown Health at production of Rent

The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance in the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State University is proud to present Rent, which is directed by Michael Barnes and runs through October 2. Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice, and survival in the precarious climate of the East Village in 1980s New York City. During the run of Rent, the Hilberry Theatre will host a block of the 54-ton AIDS Memorial Quilt, which is the premiere symbol and living memorial of a generation lost to AIDS as well as an important HIV prevention education tool. A past member of the Hilberry Graduate Company, Alan Harvey, died due to pneumonia caused by AIDS shortly after receiving his M.F.A. diploma. Theatre and Dance at Wayne will be dedicating the run of Rent to Alan, and the quilt will serve as a demonstration that the themes covered in Rent are not only relevant to the present, but are close to home as well.  
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Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Rent’ opens Wayne State theatre season

By Sue Suchyta Theatre and Dance at Wayne launches its 2022-2023 theatre season with the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Jonathan Larson rock musical “Rent,” which runs Sept. 23 to Oct. 2 at the Hilberry Theater. Set in 1989 in New York City’s East Village during the first wave of the AIDS crisis, “Rent” is about falling in love, finding one’s voice and living for today, as a group of diverse artists and friends struggle to follow their dreams. Director Michael Barnes said “Rent” has developed a large following. “In many ways, it was the first rock opera that was written about Generation X but it has continued to reverberate with young people because all the characters are 20-somethings,” he said. “The music would not sound out-of-place on popular radio today.” X. Alexander Durden, who plays Roger, said the show still resonates with audiences more than three decades after it debuted. “This show still rings true in its themes of wealth disparity, classism and following one’s passions,” he said. “I hope it inspires everyone to be the change they want to see and fight for the things all people should be granted as a right.” Jessica Annuziata, who plays Joanne, said the show’s music is filled with energy and passion. “’Rent’ is a story about really living live, striving to make the best out of bad news and being there for our fellow human beings,” she said.
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From Shakespeare to modern musicals: WSU offers a diverse theatre season

By Sue Suchyta  Whether you prefer the rock musical “Rent” or Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” – or both – there’s an exciting round of shows ahead as Wayne State University launches its new season in anticipation of the opening of its new Hilberry Gateway Theater in late winter. Department chair Mary Anderson said she is both proud and humbled by the tenacity and creativity of the faculty, staff and students who have weathered the pandemic and developed a vision for the department’s upcoming season. “The 2022-2023 season will engage and enchant us with the beauty and power that only dance and theater can express,” she said. Anderson expressed appreciation for the community partners and patrons who have continued their support throughout the challenges of the last few years, amid a pandemic and the construction of the Hilberry Gateway. “We are building the Gateway together,” she said. “We are all entering into an extraordinary new chapter of collective creation.”  
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Theatre and Dance at Wayne announces 2022-2023 season

Theatre and Dance at Wayne, the producing arm of the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance at Wayne State University, has announced its 2022-2023 production season. Theatre and Dance at Wayne has curated a season of theatre and dance productions that will delight and inspire you with four plays, two musicals, two dance concerts, and four student-run productions. The season opens in September 2022 with Rent, the iconic musical about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., opening in October 2022, is a wildly experimental and inventive new play that does not behave, is about the conundrums of being a woman in the 21st century. Fans of Shakespeare will be thrilled to attend his comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor in November 2022. 

WSU Theater and Dance offers digital portal to creative performance and learning

While its theaters may be dark, Wayne State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance has reinvented its offerings to reach its audiences digitally, despite the pandemic precautions which keep live performance venues silent. Thomas Karr, director of marketing and audience engagement for the Magee Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance, said the 2020-21 season is three-fold, offering digital content to audiences worldwide, and includes a Productions Series, a Dialogue Series and Studio Hours. The Productions Series offers streaming and recorded theater performances. “Our Productions Series is where you’ll find the digital experience of viewing fully-realized theatrical productions, similar to what you might experience when attending in-person at the theatre,” Karr said. “Anyone can attend these digital performances for free, but we suggest a $10 ticket to help us maintain the high quality you’ve come to expect from us.”
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A Wayne State University Theater Ensemble Performs Original Play in Scotland

Exploring topics such as race, gender, sexuality, and mental health, members of the Freedom Players — an ensemble formed out of Wayne State University’s Black Theater and Dance Program — went no holds barred this month when they performed their honest and original play, I Am, at the Scotland-based Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The trip marked the first time WSU students have attended the month-long, city-wide celebration, and their play was one of more than 50,000 performances showcased during the festival’s run. Following their experience across the Atlantic Ocean, Hour Detroit spoke with Billicia Hines, artistic director of the Black Theatre and Dance Collective at WSU, about the decision to attend this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, how it felt to bring their heartfelt work to an international audience, and the unforgettable impression this experience has had on the young Freedom Players.                                                    
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Theatre and Dance honors Jeffrey Seller with 2019 Apple Award at Hamilton

The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance, a program within the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, is honoring Michigan native and Tony Award-winning producer of "Hamilton," Jeffrey Seller, with the 2019 Apple Award on March 27 at the Fisher Theatre. On March 28, Seller will meet with Wayne State Theatre and Dance students for a conversation about his Michigan roots and his rise to one of Broadway's most-celebrated producers. This event will take place in the Studio Theatre at the Hilberry at 11:30 a.m. The Apple Award, named for Sarah Applebaum Nederlander, is given by the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance at Wayne State University on behalf of the Nederlander family. Previous Apple Award winners include Garth Fagan, Neil Simon, Carol Channing, Stephen Schwartz, Mandy Patinkin, Patti LuPone, Marvin Hamlisch, Elaine Stritch, Tom Skerritt and Natasha Katz.
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Roxbury's Bonstelle Theatre lease OK'd as part of boutique hotel project

The Wayne State University Board of Governors approved Wednesday a long-term lease of the to-be-decommissioned Bonstelle Theatre as part of Detroit-based developer The Roxbury Group's planned West Elm hotel project. David Di Rita, principal of Roxbury, said the 45-year lease also includes a number of options to renew and that the property would be renovated and restored with things like updated HVAC systems and interior, auditorium and finishes. A specific budget for the theater renovation project has not been calculated, but the overall effort to restore it and construct the West Elm hotel on Woodward Avenue on the edge of Midtown and Brush Park is expected to cost $50 million. Wayne State is decommissioning the Bonstelle and a building at 95 W. Hancock St. as part of the $65 million Hilberry Gateway Performance Complex project.