theater
A
A Time Of
Change
drive of only a few miles
along Maple Road will
take theatergoers from the
former West Bloomfield venue of
the Jewish Ensemble Theatre ( JET)
to its new locale in Walled Lake,
but the move represents some
sharp turns in operations.
That was announced Sept. 6,
when the theater company held
its 30th Anniversary Gala at
Temple Israel and summarized
board members’ decisions since
learning last March that the Jewish
Community Center ( JCC) would
not be renewing the JET lease of
the Aaron DeRoy Theatre.
Besides renting a building in the
Maple Plaza Shopping Center near
Pontiac Trail and working with
architect Stuart Fine to remodel
what had been used by a bank, JET is schedul-
ing four mainstage productions in 2019 between
Passover and Thanksgiving to avoid inclement
weather experienced with September-May produc-
tions.
New initiatives planned for specific age groups —
preschoolers to seniors — also are in the works for
the space.
“Accessibility and a place to grow were important
to our building search,” says Elaine Sturman, JET
board president. “I love that it’s our own facility,
where we’ll be working year-round. I think of
this move as a new beginning and expanded
opportunities for JET.”
Among the new locale selling points are
convenient parking and significant outdoor lighting.
In explaining the lease termination, Brian Siegel,
CEO of the Jewish Community Center, revealed that
the Aaron DeRoy Theatre will be taken over by the
Frankel Jewish Academy, also located at the JCC.
“We’re sad about it, but we’ve all been preparing
for this for some time,” Siegel told the Detroit Jewish
News in April. “What [ JET] could pay was less than
our costs, and funding JET is not within the JCC
JET welcomes move to new theater.
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
mission. We have great respect for JET, but we can’t
afford to be their donor.”
Christopher Bremer, JET executive director
working with the company since 1999, is excited
about the move now that the building has been
chosen for use and should be move-in ready by
December. At the JCC, there were availability
limitations as other groups shared the space.
“The theater space itself will remind people of
our old and intimate seating arrangements because
both can accommodate an audience of 85 people,”
Bremer explains. “Nobody will ever be more than
four rows from the stage.”
While the troupe takes along its curtains, lighting,
sound equipment and props, there will be new seats.
“Working with 4,550 square feet, we have the same
amount of overall space that we had at the JCC,”
says Bremer, whose year-round administrative work
includes oversight of the productions developed for
young people, such as The Diary of Anne Frank and
Mean Girls, which are presented to school groups in
larger venues.
The coming season’s mainstage productions start
in late April with a comedy, The Odd Couple, now
considered a tribute to playwright Neil Simon, who
died in August. Next The architect’s
rendering of
in line, the musical
the new JET
Ain’t Misbehavin’
theater
will feature Alvin
Waddles, who was
a hit in last year’s season and
will be taking the stage in June.
Another musical, Cabaret, is being
scheduled for August, and A Doll’s
House, Part 2, ends the season
in October by presenting a 2017
script written to follow up on the
Henrik Ibsen play that examines
society and gender.
Staged readings, which seek
audience comments on new
works, will continue.
“We are anticipating a time
when we can have a theater
camp,” Bremer says. “Because of
the summer activities at the JCC,
we did not have access to the theater during that
time of year. Now, we can offer our own stage oppor-
tunities for young people.
“During our years at the center, we gave special
ticket offers to the staff, and we want that to
continue. Our subscription rates also will be the
same, but we will have to raise individual ticket
prices a bit.”
Wendy Kohlenberg, JET board member who co-
chaired the gala, also is enthusiastic about the
upcoming changes. Before becoming active with the
organization, she often was in the audience.
Theater has been a lifelong interest for
Kohlenberg. It was introduced by her late mother,
Dorothy Gould, an actress performing in Niagara
Falls, N.Y.
“I didn’t know about the anti-bullying productions
JET offered until after I started going to the
mainstage plays,” Kohlenberg recalls. “When I
learned about Mean Girls, I knew that JET is so
much more than theater, and I love being part of it.”
Until the new space is ready, JET administration
can be reached at the same phone number, (248) 788-
2900, and through the same website, jettheatre.org. •
jn
September 13 • 2018
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