A LOT of Space: closing community dinner Oct. 18

Posted: Oct. 10, 2012 at 6:40 a.m.

DETROIT - A LOT of Space, the ongoing transformation of the empty lot at Cass and Canfield in Midtown Detroit into a performance space, will culminate on Oct. 18 with a community dinner at 6 p.m. The meal will be provided by local restaurants Cass Cafe, the Majestic Cafe and Avalon International Breads. Entertainment will be provided by Motif. There is a suggested donation of $5, all of which will benefit Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company.

Wayne State University's assistant professor and head M.F.A. in theater 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 have transformed A LOT of Space at the Northeast corner of Canfield and Cass Avenue 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 that began Sept. 10 and will conclude Oct. 22. The project also is supported by Wayne State University's Office of Economic Development and Parking and Transportation Services. Ongoing information about A LOT of Space may be found on the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/460115587345420/.

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 about 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 theatre while bringing attention to the green initiatives in the Midtown area.

The project is 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.

• Creation: Sept. 10-18. This phase consisted primarily of Lot transformation, donation collecting, building and installation of the central stage.
  
• Life: Sept. 19 – Oct. 18. During this time, performers have had 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 Lot Sale, relocation and community dinner.

Event information may be found at https://www.facebook.com/events/419055208147876/?context=create.

About Wayne State University's Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance/Hilberry TheatreThis 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, where 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.

About Wayne State University's Parking and Transportation Services
Parking and Transportation Services provides parking services to students, staff and visitors of Wayne State University. Parking Services is a self-supporting auxiliary that is not funded by state taxes or student tuition. Parking operations, maintenance and development expenses are funded by revenue generated from sale of parking services.