Address | 4715 Cass Ave Detroit, Michigan United States |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°21′14″N83°03′58″W / 42.354°N 83.066°W |
Owner | Wayne State University |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 2018 |
Opened | April 7, 2023 |
The Hilberry Gateway is a performing arts center on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. The complex is the home of theatre and jazz performances presented by the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance, succeeding the Bonstelle Theatre and incorporating the renovated Hilberry Theatre.
The project was in planning as early in 2010, and received funding in 2018. The theater opened with the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance production of Cabaret in April 2023. [1] [2]
The Hilberry Gateway succeeds two earlier performance venues in Midtown Detroit, the Bonstelle Theatre and the Hilberry Theatre. Both venues were built as houses of worship in the early 20th century, and converted to theaters decades later. Scenic and costume shops were located in a separate facility, complicating the logistics of productions in both theaters. The university also highlighted the Hilberry Theatre's uncomfortable seating and climate controls in its planning for the new performance venues. [3]
Design work on the complex began in 2016. The university's Board of Governors approved $65 million in funding for the project in 2018 after over eight years of planning. The facility was initially expected to open in fall 2022. [3]
The 550-seat proscenium theater features a 3,200 sq ft (297 m2) stage, with a sprung floor for dance performances, and an orchestra lift for musicals. The theater opened in April 2023 with a production of Cabaret. [4] [2]
The 250-seat, 50 by 60 ft (15 by 18 m) black box theater is the most flexible performance space in the complex. The space features a tension grid for flexibility in configuring overhead equipment. [2]
The Studio Theater opened in May 2023 with the Sarah Ruhl adaptation of Orlando. [5]
The Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center is the oldest portion of the complex, as a major renovation of the existing Hilberry Theatre. The Valade Jazz Center will be a 350-seat performance hall, featuring revised acoustics, seating, and support spaces. The Valade Jazz Center is named after the late Gretchen C. Valade, longtime patron of the Detroit Jazz Festival, and major supporter of the Hilberry Gateway construction. [2]
The building was constructed as the First Church of Christ, Scientist in 1917 in the Roman Ionic style, and is a contributing property to the Wayne State University Buildings historic district. [6] The building's life as a theatre began when the university purchased the building in 1961, reopening it in 1964 with a repertory season of four plays by William Shakespeare. The Hilberry closed in 2022, after 58 years, with a production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. [7]
The 22,800 sq ft (2,120 m2) Production Wing houses fully-equipped costume, scenic, lighting, and properties shops, a design studio, dressing rooms, and offices. The Production Wing is located behind the proscenium theater's stage, with direct connections to the black box theater. The Production Wing replaces an offsite scenic and costume shop at 95 West Hancock St. [8]
An integral part of the project was the relocation of the historic David Mackenzie House, the residence of the university's first president. The relocation was accomplished in 2019 over the course of three days, moving the house to another location on the same block. [9]
The newly constructed portions of the complex were built using precast concrete to accommodate the logistical challenges of building on the site. [10]
Stagecraft is a technical aspect of theatrical, film, and video production. It includes constructing and rigging scenery; hanging and focusing of lighting; design and procurement of costumes; make-up; stage management; audio engineering; and procurement of props. Stagecraft is distinct from the wider umbrella term of scenography. Considered a technical rather than an artistic field, it is primarily the practical implementation of a scenic designer's artistic vision.
Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained professionals, holding B.F.A. or M.F.A. degrees in theatre arts. Scenic designers create sets and scenery that aim to support the overall artistic goals of the production. There has been some consideration that scenic design is also production design; however, it is generally considered to be a part of the visual production of a film or television.
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A theater, theatre or playhouse, is a structure where theatrical works, performing arts and musical concerts are presented. The theater building serves to define the performance and audience spaces. The facility usually is organized to provide support areas for performers, the technical crew and the audience members, as well as the stage where the performance takes place.
The Detroit Opera House is an ornate opera house located at 1526 Broadway Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Grand Circus Park Historic District. The 2,700-seat venue is the home of productions of the Detroit Opera and a variety of other events. The theatre was originally designed by C. Howard Crane, who created other prominent theatres in Detroit including The Fillmore Detroit, the Fox Theater and the Detroit Symphony's Orchestra Hall. It opened on January 22, 1922.
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Blumenthal Performing Arts is a non-profit, multi-venue performing arts complex located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It opened in 1992 and is named in honor of the people of the state of North Carolina and the Blumenthal Foundation established by I.D. Blumenthal who founded RSC Brands, the largest private donor to the capital campaign. The idea for the center dates back to the late 1970s. Momentum for the project grew in the 1980s resulting in a $15 million allocation from the state of North Carolina, approval of a $15 million bond by the citizens of Charlotte and an additional $32 million contributed by individuals, corporations and foundations. In 1987 the Belk Brothers donated a valuable piece of land as the site of the new theatre complex. Total construction cost for the Blumenthal Center was over $62 million.
Performing arts – are art forms where the participant engages in a physical performance using their body, voice, language, or use of specific equipment for entertainment purposes.
Proctor's Theatre is a theatre and former vaudeville house located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Many famous artists have performed there, including Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Hal Holbrook, Ted Wiles, and George Burns, as well as many others. It has one of the largest movie screens in the Northeast.
The Florida State University College of Fine Arts, located in Tallahassee, Florida, is one of sixteen colleges comprising the Florida State University (FSU).
There are different types of theatres, but they all have three major parts in common. Theatres are divided into two main sections, the house and the stage; there is also a backstage area in many theatres. The house is the seating area for guests watching a performance and the stage is where the actual performance is given. The backstage area is usually restricted to people who are producing or in the performance.
The Bonstelle Theatre is a theater and former synagogue owned by Wayne State University, located at 3424 Woodward Avenue in the Midtown Woodward Historic District of Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1902 as the Temple Beth-El, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. As of 2023, the Bonstelle is planned to be renovated and integrated into a newly-constructed hotel.
Old Main is an academic building on the campus of Wayne State University. It is located at 4841 Cass Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, on Wayne's main campus.
The Wayne State University historic district consists of three buildings on 4735-4841 Cass Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan: the Mackenzie House, Hilberry Theatre, and Old Main, all on the campus of Wayne State University. The buildings were designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1957 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The Rialto Center for the Arts is an 833-seat performing-arts venue owned and operated by Georgia State University and located in the heart of the Fairlie-Poplar district in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The venue is home to the Rialto Series, an annual subscription series featuring national and international jazz, world music, and dance. The Rialto also routinely presents Georgia State University School of Music performances, the annual National Black Arts Festival, and many others.
Richmond CenterStage is a performing arts center in Richmond, Virginia, that includes the Altria Theatre. The theatre was formerly known as the Carpenter Theatre Center for the Performing Arts. The Carpenter Theatre was originally a Loew's Theatre movie palace developed by the Loew's Theatres company and designed by John Eberson. The building's construction began in 1927, with its doors opening in 1928. The Altria Theatre was constructed a year earlier, in 1926, and was originally a Shriners hall.
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The Hilberry Theatre was a 534-seat auditorium located at 4743 Cass Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. Created in 1963, the Hilberry served as the theatre space for approximately 40-50 graduate students pursuing degrees in theatre fields at the Wayne State University main campus.
Jessie Bonstelle was an American theater director, actress, and drama company manager. Encouraged by her mother, she sang and performed in the theater from a young age; she went on to become a famous leading lady and made several performances on Broadway. Later she became a director, managing many stock companies, directing Broadway productions and training many young performers who went on to be famous actors. In 1925, she founded her own theater in Detroit. Reorganized in 1928 as the Detroit Civic Theatre, it was one of America's first civic theaters, and her methods influenced community theater projects elsewhere. She has been described as "one of the pioneering women stage directors in the early twentieth century".