Robots, rappers, and zombies. Oh, my!
Lots of cool stuff to check out in town this week in FilterD. If I'd had a seventh slot I would have included UMS class act
Stile Antico.. But, hey, we say we only pick six and six it is. Plus, I already included a touch o' klaz and cultah by spotlighting the Globe Theater's bawdy production of Willy S's
Love's Labour's Lost. (...if you believe Willy S is Shakespeare, that is. I don't.)
Anyway, in this week's FilterD you might notice that one of our featured events is
Evil Dead: The Musical... which is playing in Ferndale.
Now, it's not unheard of for me to spotlight a show outside the Ann Arbor region as being "worth the drive". But this week's decidedly Halloween-inspired selection dovetails with something near and dear to my heart: Namely fringe theater. Or more specifically, fringe art.
Why? Because much as
Concentrate is committed to covering
'what's next' in innovation, entrepreneurship, and development (Ie. the evolution of our community), fringe art represents
'what's next' in local arts and culture.
Most communities when they want to take their internal cultural temperature look to the vitality of their biggest arts institutions, those that have been around longest or who have the most professional sheen. Ann Arbor's usual suspects are UMMA, UMS, Performance Network, The Ark, The AA Film Fest, etc.. And all of them are important facets of our cultural fabric.
But all too often, cities forget to seed the ground for the next generation of arts and cultural innovation. Oldest doesn't necessarily mean best. Or even most relevant (although say that to historic preservationist and they'll fire up the torches).
The downside of overvaluing established institutions is that it can often mean we're not focusing on what's healthiest for our community's future. You have only to look to Pfizer for an example of how putting most of your chips on the biggest player in town can have catastrophic consequences. Luckily, in the case of business, the university, along with state and local government leaders realized this and began to do their damnedest to attract and nurture local start-ups and new economy entrepreneurs. Time will prove whether their efforts are enough.
So, where are our cultural start-ups? What are we doing to help them? In reviewing the venues and resources available to emerging local artists, the scorecard is, well, lacking. Yellow Barn, the fringiest and most organic of efforts, struggles along on sheer gumption. Tiny
Sh'aut Gallery and
Ann Arbor Civic Theater's Studio Performance Studio attract small but loyal crowds to their threadbare productions.
Blackbird Theatre survives by the grace of a childcare center that doubles as its performance space. Attendence typically numbers under 50.
The truth is, it's hard to be a fringe artist in our city. And I have nothing but respect for those who do.
A quick glance at Ypsilanti shows a somewhat more prmising landscape, demonstrating what a fringe art scene can mean to young creatives. Not only is the
Shadow Art Fair a terrific demonstration of DIY vitality, the city also provides an affordable gallery and performance space to local creatives via the
Riverside Arts Gallery.
Dreamland Theater, a storefront space in Ypsi's downtown, has been bopping along for 3 years now, offering
outre performances, music and puppetry Jame Marks, the owner of
VG Kids, recently launched
Spur Studios (look for our video soon), an arts incubator that provides creatives of every stripe low cost rehearsal and studio space.
In a nutshell, Ypsilanti is actively seeding the ground for its cultural future. If it can nurture and expand its efforts in the coming years I have little doubt it will eventually overshadow Ann Arbor for locally created arts and culture.
Yes, A2 will always have U-M, and the university is a powerhouse of creativity and innovation. But in many ways, it is an island unto itself, more interested in exporting its ideas and vision to the rest of the world than nourishing the community it's in.
So, what does
Evil Dead: The Musical have to do with all of this? Well, aside from looking like a real hoot, it's playing at the
Ringwald Theater in Ferndale - a former car industry bedroom community that has been undergoing a remarkable transition over the last few years. Young creatives, gays and lesbians, and new economy professionals and families have been moving in
en force. In 2007 it was the first city in Michigan to elect an openly gay mayor.
And the Ringwald is the kind of irreverent, fringe theater that attracts both younger artists and audiences to its downtown. By taking risks with its choices of material and casts, it's fast becoming a popular fixture in the city of 22,000.
And just down the street is
Go! Comedy Theater, a highly popular improv space that boasts, ironically enough, members from the now defunct Improv Inferno - former address: downtown Ann Arbor. Both venues have brought the kind of vitality to Ferndale's downtown that isn't predicated on eating at bistros or getting drunk. Think of them as 'gateway venues', promoting both an appreciation for local art and a sense that members of the community are welcome to participate.
Developing a vibrant, participatory culture that promotes involvement in the arts takes a commitment to providing spaces and opportunities for emerging artists to rehearse, perform and collaborate. So, what can we do to achieve this? Next week I'll offer up some ideas on how A2 might make space for those local creatives who are just getting their canvass wet, so to speak.
Got some ideas of your own? Email me
here.
Until then, consume your entertainment locally!
Jeff Meyers
Editor
Want your event in FilterD? We only pick six each week!
Press releases
for upcoming events in the Ann Arbor area should be sent by the Sunday before to
jeff@concentratemedia.com. Please include high res jpg
images that are at least 500 pixels wide.