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Arts & Entertainment

Broadway Makes A Home at Ford and 12th Street

A labor of love for a local businesswoman and community volunteers, the Out of the Box Theater Complex is celebrated in a gala ceremony as the new official home of the Downriver Actors Guild.

Hollywood is the place where dreams come true for many, yet for a local theater group the dream has been realized a lot closer to home.

The newly completed Out of the Box Theater Complex, a labor-of-love project for owner Dione Carrico, was the local star at a grand-opening gala and ribbon-cutting ceremony held Friday.

The theater, located at 1165 Ford Avenue (at the corner of 12th Street), features an inviting lobby area, stage and seating capacity for more than 100 people.

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"This is a childhood dream come true,” Carrico said of the new venue which serves as the official home of the Downriver Actors Guild.

Carrico and her husband Greg were joined by Wyandotte Mayor Joseph Peterson for the official celebration.

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“We really couldn’t have done this without all the volunteers who gave countless hours to help us build this theater," Carrico said. “Our volunteers and friends helped us to complete this theater on time and we envision great things for the future.”

Carrico said the new home of the Downriver Actors Guild also will be made available to other groups, individuals and organizations as a new venue for a variety of community events. Carrico and Deborah Aue are the guild’s artistic directors. They greeted visitors to the gala evening and gave tours of the theater.

The area that is now the theater originally was the showroom for ArtCraft Inc, a business owned by the Carricos. The company specializes in commercial design and remodeling, custom cabinet manufacturing and a complete range of building product supplies and services for both commercial and residential applications.

Last year the former showroom was filled with materials and displays, but Carrico said she envisioned more. An idea was formed to reuse the 10,000-square-foot facility. The area was completely overhauled for the installation of a new community theater.

ArtCraft is still on site and shares some of the building, but the theater has it own separate entrance and area. The work was completed within months.

“We began converting the showroom into a theater only a few days after the Fourth of July last year,” said Richard Marengere, a volunteer whose two daughters are participants in the youth theater.

Marengere and his wife, Carolyn, volunteered almost daily for several months while the project was in full swing.

Renovations included clearing the old showroom of the building materials that were on site, gutting the entire area, installing drywall, painting walls and ceilings, adding flooring, building the stage and theater risers, and constructing the lobby and entrance areas. A complete reconstruction was completed in time for the guild to present “Hairspray,” which sold out last November. A holiday musical also was  featured recently at the new venue.

The mayor, who was on hand for the ribbon cutting and gala event, praised the work.

“What this project has done for the community is second to none,” Peterson said. “You can stay right here in Wyandotte and have a great time. Families can see a show at reasonable prices and enjoy a great night out right here.”

Peterson said he likes the family atmosphere and the ability for visitors to see shows at prices they can afford. He said the new theater complements Wyandotte’s artistic, retail and dining opportunities.

“We have our own Broadway experience right here in Wyandotte," he said.

Aue said the new theater will be a community project enjoyed by many.

“The Out of the Box Theatre Complex ... will be the pride of Wyandotte," she said “With its contemporary style and intimate setting, the public will feel like they are part of the productions staged there.”

Aue said the vision of the actors guild is to provide high-quality theatrical performances and local access to the arts. She also thanked the numerous volunteers for all of their help.

Visitors to the gala evening were treated to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, hors d'oeuvres, refreshments and an array of live performances in the theater.

The gala program included “An Evening at the Cabaret,” which featured more than 20 live performances on the new stage.

Highlights included a special preview of an upcoming show. The fund-raiser show, “Always Patsy Cline,” will help pay for a new outdoor lighted sign for the theater. The preview included performances by Aue as Patsy Cline and Michelle Devons as Louise on the new lobby stage of the theater.

“Always Patsy Cline” has a humorous flair and features 27 Patsy Cline hits. Performances will be held at the theater on February 11-13 and 18-20.

Additional productions slated for 2011 include “The Music Man” in March, “The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree" in May, “Cabaret” in June and “Little Women” in July.

For advanced tickets or showtimes, call the theater at 313-303-5259 or check out the guild’s website.

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