Get swept away by story at Detroit Repertory Theatre! And support a Detroit institution that’s been in operation since 1957.
Since its inception, Detroit Repertory Theatre has championed a mixed-race cast and community involvement. In addition to putting on four plays a year, the theater offers acting workshops that include financial-need-based scholarships and its Cultural Fellowship Program, which gives underprivileged individuals the opportunity to be frequent theatergoers. It considers screenplays by beginning writers via its New Playwrights Program, and it showcases artwork by Metro-Detroiters in The Gilda Snowden Gallery located in its lobby. By way of this grassroots activism and commitment to diversity, Detroit Repertory Theatre lives out its mission to “produce the finest professional theatre while democratizing the arts and fighting, by example, the disturbing level of racism that still exists.”
Beginning as a company that performed on the road, the Detroit Repertory Theatre settled into its spot on Woodrow Wilson Street in the early 1960s. The venerable venue offers free, gated parking; a cozy lobby with a bar serving alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, plus snacks and main-course items such as sandwiches and mac-n-cheese; and seating for 194.
I saw Transfers during my visit to Detroit Repertory Theatre and was swept away by Lucy Thurber’s play about two young men vying for a spot at a prestigious college – and a chance to escape their traumatic pasts. At times heart-wrenching and also humorous, the emotionally raw play captivated me – and gave me quite a shock when one of the characters burst from a seat in my aisle to join the action on stage! (His raucous emergence led me to initially peg him as a mentally unstable audience member with malevolent intentions.) The play’s poignant end left me hopeful about both main characters’ futures. It was a happy ending, in my book – a realistic one. And who doesn’t love a happy ending?
Detroit Repertory Theatre’s 66th season recently reached its happy ending; details on its 67th season should be available soon. Subscribe to its newsletter to stay in the know, and be prepared to experience this magical theater for yourself!
13103 Woodrow Wilson St.
Detroit, MI 48238
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