A LOT of Space: A transformative project in Midtown Detroit

Posted: Sept. 6, 2012 at 6:48 a.m.

DETROIT – Wayne State University's assistant professor and head MFA in Theatre set design Pegi Marshall‐Amundsen, Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company's executive artistic director Frannie Shepherd‐Bates, Wayne State University scenic design graduate students, and members of the midtown community will transform "A LOT of Space" at the northeast corner of Canfield and Cass Avenue in Midtown Detroit into an innovative space for theater companies and performers. This is a project of ArtsCorpsDetroit's Lots of Art and will continue through three phases from Sept. 10 - Oct. 22. The project also is supported by Wayne State University's Office of Economic Development.

The goal of Lots of Art is to enhance vacant lots through art, with a parallel aim to affect the social and economic fabric of the city, engendering cohesiveness and pride in neighborhoods and empowering individuals to realize that they have the creative capacity to transform their lives and their environment. A Lot of Space will draw attention to the need for space, as well as the overwhelming amount of unused space in Detroit. The project will provide homeless theater companies and performers with a performance venue in an empty lot. This project will be a highly visual installation in the Midtown environment, will bring life to an empty space for a brief moment in time, and will engage the community to help support a local homeless theater while bringing attention to the green initiatives in the Midtown area.

The project will be a highly visible and visually exciting installation around a central magenta stage that will be an exhibition of three phases: Creation, Life, and Re-Creation. The phases include:

Creation: Sept. 10-18. This phase consists primarily of lot transformation, donation collecting, building and installation of the central stage.

Life: Sept. 19 – Oct. 18. During this time, performers will have the opportunity to exhibit their work between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Re-Creation: Oct. 19-22. This phase will include a culminating weekend lot sale, relocation and community dinner.

For those interested in donating, please bring to the space your used outdoor furniture, garden and landscaping tools, upholstered furniture, linens of all kinds, small household items and building materials (lumber, PVC, and, if you have them, shingles). If you bring it, it will be used! Drop off times are Thursday, Sept. 6 from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.; Friday, Sept. 7 from 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

For those interested in performing, please e-mail Frannie Shepherd-Bates at frannie@magentagiraffe.org to obtain an application form. All performance inquiries should go to this email address, not to Wayne State University or ArtsCorpsDetroit. Performers should note that extensive profanity, nudity and real or simulated drug use will not be allowed.

Those interested in volunteering during any phase of the event should contact Pegi Marshall-Amundsen at pmarshall@wayne.edu.

Ongoing information about A LOT of Space may be found on the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/460115587345420/.

About Wayne State University's Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance/Hilberry Theatre
This year marks the 50th season at the Hilberry Theatre. The Hilberry Theatre is unique: It is the nation's first and only graduate repertory theater company, charged with presenting six classic and modern plays in rotating repertory from October to mid-May. The company is composed of 40-45 actors, costume, lighting and scenic designer-technicians, stage managers and theater managers who work under the direction of a professional faculty and staff. The members of the company, chosen in nationwide auditions and interviews, receive training that leads to graduate degrees in acting, directing, design or management.

About Hilberry Outside the Box
Hilberry Outside the Box is a program in which student designers are challenged to participate in and create visual exhibitions outside the confines of the theater. This is a two-fold experience, in which the student's work gains more exposure on campus and throughout the urban community, while the community is publicly exposed to the creative work of a scenic designer outside of the theaters. Example projects are WSU's Annual Art Parade, full-scale installations and small-scale performance installations. Through these projects, students have created costumes and participated in the Annual Art Parade, performed and presented exhibitions at public libraries, academic buildings, and local establishments around the WSU Campus.

About Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company
Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that acts to eliminate apathy, violence, prejudice and barriers to education through theater productions, projects and programs, and further acts to reestablish and expand Detroit's theater district.

About ArtsCorpsDetroit
ArtsCorpsDetroit is a community-based program at Wayne State University that offers service-learning courses and volunteer opportunities for students and others who want to help revitalize the urban community through the arts. ArtsCorpsDetroit is open to all Wayne State University students and also invites participation from the Detroit community.

About Wayne State University's Office of Economic Development
As a leader and partner in the revitalization of Midtown, Wayne State University is committed to being a good neighbor in a good neighborhood. As Midtown continues to emerge as a neighborhood of choice in Detroit, the Office of Economic Development at Wayne State seeks to leverage the assets of the university to be a catalyst for growth, including creating new opportunities to connect the more than 30,000 students and 8,000 faculty and staff members to the diverse array of restaurants, shops, entertainment, and arts and cultural venues throughout the neighborhood.