Sunday, December 28, 2008

MTM: Hilberry Theater, Wayne State University


Dexter reading.






The Hilberry Theatre is an open stage performance center for the nation’s first and only graduate repertory company - presenting seven plays in rotating repertory from October to mid-May. It is part of Wayne State University, where I work, and students come from across the country to earn an MFA degree in some aspect of theater.


Created in 1963, with the belief that repertory theatre is the best possible training ground for careers in the theatre, the Hilberry was the brainchild of Leonard Leone, now Director Emeritus. Clarence B. Hilberry, then president of Wayne State University, personally took the responsibility of raising the funds to convert the First Church of Christ Scientist in Detroit into an open-stage theatre, which now stands as a memorial to his leadership.

Following the theatre’s opening, he invited a group of community leaders to form a women’s committee to ensure the continuity of the growing company. “The Understudies,” as the group became known, for over 40 years has solicited funds, primarily from individual donors, to provide essential support for the artists of the Hilberry company.The company is composed of 45-50 actors, costume, lighting and scenic designer-technicians, stage managers and theatre managers, who work under the direction of a professional staff.

The members of the company, chosen in nationwide auditions and interviews, receive training leading to advanced degrees in acting, directing, design, or management.The heart of the program is a rotating repertory of outstanding classic and modern plays. Widely known for the high quality of its productions, the Hilberry has received numerous honors. It has been selected to perform at Ford’s Theatre and The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and in the Far East for the USO. Over the years, the Hilberry has been honored with awards by the Detroit Newspapers, including “Best Director” and “Best Play” for 2003-2004 season’s The Kentucky Cycle Parts I and II co-directed by Patricia Ansuini and Lavinia Hart as well as “Best Season” (Oakland Press), “Favorite Local Professional Productions - Drama” for Glengarry Glen Ross and “Favorite Local Professional Production - Comedy” for Lovers and Executioners (Between the Lines), and many individual awards for members of the company.
This season, playing in rotating repertory, are: Eurydice , by Sarah Ruhl, Oct. 3 - Dec. 13 Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Oct. 24 - Jan. 24 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead , by Tom Stoppard, Nov 14 - Mar. 14 Born Yesterday , by Garson Kanin, Jan. 9 - Apr. 11 All My Sons , by Arthur Miller, Feb. 20 - May 16 On Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , by Dale Wasserman, Apr. 3 - May 8.

6 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

I should get out to more plays. Maybe I'll make that a new year's resolution.

pattinase (abbott) said...

We used to see the whole season and now just a couple. It gets away from you.

Sophie Littlefield said...

ohhhhhh, I surely do love that dexter...he's the current one thing everyone in our house can agree on - not bad when the people in question are 13, 16, 45, and 47...

Junosmom said...

I used to attend a lot of plays in college, when they would give college students inexpensive tickets. Here, it is very expensive to see professional plays, and the university is quite a drive, though i should look into the cost there. Plays are just so different from other entertainment.

pattinase (abbott) said...

We love Dexter. He struggles to be good, just doesn't always succeed.
Plays are different--good point. A good play lifts you up more than a good movie, I think because you've shared the experience with the actors.

Jenn Jilks said...

Interesting topic.

The actor's life is not an easy one. My son spent two season's at Shaw Festival, in S. Ontario.

We attended 6 shows there this year, over several trips. It was very exciting.