Detroit Public Theatre

The Detroit Public Theatre (DPT) is a nonprofit professional theatre in Detroit, Michigan, that produces plays and programs.[1]

Company

The theatre is partially supported by the Michigan Arts & Culture Council and National Endowment for the Arts.[2]

History

The DPT was founded in 2015 by Courtney Burkett, Sarah Clare Corporandy, and Sarah Winkler, who are now producing artistic directors of the theatre. The founders created the theatre company after noticing that the city lacked an institution that was home to professional theatre with both local and national artists.[3] The DPT began producing in 2015 out of the Max M. Fisher Music Center. In 2016, it produced Detroit ’67, a play written by playwright and actress Dominique Morisseau.[3][4]

Several years after its founding, the DPT built and moved into its own theatre space at 3960 Third Street in Midtown, which opened on September 21, 2022.[3] The new space can accommodate around 200 people.[5]

Notable productions

Here There are Blueberries: With its script written by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich, DPT's was the first licensed production in the United States. It retells the 2007 event where photos from the World War II that were unseen before revealed further about the Holocaust upond the discovery of Rebecca Erbelding and other historians.[6] This production kicked off DPT's 2025-2026 season in October 2025.[7]

Fat Ham: The DPT staged the play that was written by James Ijames. It offers a new take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet.[8][9] This production opened the company's tenth anniversary season.[10][11] The production play through November 3, 2024.[12][13]

References

  1. ^"Detroit Public Theatre". www.michigan.org. January 10, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  2. ^"Detroit Public Theatre". Detroit Public Theatre. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  3. ^ abc"A Theater With A New Home For Local And National Performing Talent | Detroitisit". December 7, 2022. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  4. ^Luongo, Michael T. (October 25, 2017). "Putting Detroit's Finest in Detroit Public Theater". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  5. ^"Detroit Public Theatre Brings Plays to the Neighborhood". July 25, 2023. Archived from the original on July 14, 2025.
  6. ^Beddingfield, Duante. "One of history's greatest WWII mysteries unravels in gripping Detroit Public Theatre play". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  7. ^"Detroit Public Theatre's Here There Are Blueberries". Detroit Arts, Culture, & Entrepreneurship. October 9, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  8. ^Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Fat Ham’ at Detroit Public Theatre | American Black Journal. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  9. ^Beddingfield, Duante. "Detroit Public Theatre's hilarious 'Fat Ham' welcomes you to the cookout from Hell". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  10. ^"Pulitzer Prize-winning play 'Fat Ham' opens Detroit Public Theatre's 10th anniversary season". Detroit PBS. October 8, 2024.
  11. ^"Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Fat Ham' at Detroit Public Theatre". PBS SoCal. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  12. ^Walker, Micah (October 7, 2024). "Detroit Public Theatre kicks off 10th season with Pulitzer-winning play". BridgeDetroit. Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  13. ^"Pulitzer Prize-winning play 'Fat Ham,' Actor Roger Guenveur Smith". Detroit PBS. October 8, 2024.
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