DETROIT –
The prodigal son has returned to Downtown Detroit – and local improvisers and improv lovers alike have the Y-Arts program at the Boll Family YMCA to thank for it.
"Improv had a real strong presence here in the city, but it's obviously been gone for a little while," explained Margaret Edwartowski, Y-Arts actor-in-residence and grande dame of the improv community, who hosts the new "Heart of the City Improv" every Tuesday evening inside the Y's Marlene Boll Theatre. "We're glad to be down here again."
Once a mainstay in downtown Detroit, improv disappeared from the area with the move of The Second City from Hockeytown to Novi in 2005. Although a few nearby venues hosted improv shows in recent years, the popular art form became primarily a suburban event – with many urbanites choosing to spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere.
So it's long been a goal of Edwartowki to bring improvisational comedy back to the heart of the city. "It's exciting to be at the beginning of something that has such huge possibilities. It could make a real big impact on the city itself."
And to the improv community, which has seen the number of job opportunities decrease with the closure of Ann Arbor's Improv Inferno last year and a recent decision by The Second City to replace its locally-cast main stage shows with mostly touring productions. "It was perfect timing," Edwartowski, the longtime Second City improviser said, "because I wanted to stay here in Detroit and not get on the brain-drain train and run out of town. And I also wanted to encourage growth to keep others from having to make that same move."
Most Tuesdays will feature two guest improv troupes, plus the six-person Heart of City Team, which includes Edwartowski, Nancy Hayden, Marke Sobolewski, Lauren Bickers, Mike McGettigan and Garrett Fuller. (Other area improvisers will also appear from time to time.)
Special attractions will also be part of the program, Edwartowski said. "Big Time," an original improvisation musical that had a popular run at Hamtramck's Planet Ant Theatre, is scheduled April 1, for example. "I want to keep a lot of variety in there," she said.
The idea to return improv to downtown Detroit on a regular basis grew out of a discussion Edwartowski had with Boll YMCA Vice President of Arts and Humanities Gillian Eaton. "At first we talked about improv as a tool for young writers – so it started out as an educational tool," Edwartowski recalled. "And then, can we grow something down here on Broadway? So that's what we're trying to do."
Although most people associate the YMCA with sports and fitness, Y-Arts focuses on the intellectual, artistic and educational needs of the community – and it's an asset that until recently few outside the membership knew existed. A walk through the impressive 100,000 square-foot facility reveals an art gallery, a black-box theater, a state-of-the-art digital media lab, a visual arts lab and a ceramics lab. "The whole notion here is to build an arts community, where the artists are employed to give of themselves and their talent back to the community," Eaton said.
Eaton's idea of cross-pollination brought teenagers from the Young Writers Institute into the black box theater on a recent Tuesday night to work on stage with Edwartowski and her team of improvisers. "Part of the Y-Arts program is dedicated to literacy," Eaton said of the unusual pairing. "Improv is one aspect of theater and Shakespeare is another. Both involve language. And I feel very strongly that improv helps you build confidence to think on your feet."
As if to prove her point, the budding authors at first seemed unsure of themselves as they played various improv games. But they quickly warmed up – and a few seemed right at home amidst the experts.
Sobolewski, one of the professionals who shared the stage with the young writers, is impressed by the Marlene Boll Theatre. "It's gorgeous," he said of the facilities. "I can't believe how perfect it is for what we do."
But he's even happier to be working in Downtown Detroit. "I think it's great for the community, because it brings improv back to where it started. So that's exciting. But it also opens us up to a whole new audience – an audience that might not travel out to Novi to see improv, or to Planet Ant."
(FOR "REVIEW BOX")
PREVIEW:
'Heart of the City Improv'
Every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Marlene Boll Theatre inside the Boll Family YMCA, 1401 Broadway, Detroit. Tickets: $5. For information: 313-223-2751 or http://www.y-artsdetroit.org
