Eastern Michigan’s alumni, students and local professional actors are a big part of Ypsilanti’s newest theatre company, Neighborhood Theatre Group. Kristine Anne Danko and Aaron Dean, the founders of this company, have brought their talent to Ypsilanti after leaving the Chicago theater scene.
EMU alumni included in the Neighborhood Theatre Group are Bradley James Drozdowski, Marissa Kurtzhals, Christopher Zavac, Mary Hourani, Eric Hohnke, Chris Jakob and Dawn Peterson.
The Neighborhood Theatre Group is committed to creating a welcoming and encouraging environment for local theater artists of Ypsilanti. Productions of NTG include original works, sketch shows, cabarets and self-produced videos tailored specifically to the Ypsilanti community.
“It's easy to pay $10 for a Netflix subscription, but what about the world outside of the dorm room? We need to support those parts of our lives as well,” said Marissa Kurtzhals, 2013 EMU graduate with a degree in arts management and minors in marketing and theatre.
NTG is a unique, lively experience touching on real world experiences. Every person member contributes to each production in some way. Off stage participants may make props, design and make costumes or run the box office. On stage, the actors make the hard work of off stage come alive.
You can help NTG fund their next production at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/160529905/neighborhood-theatre-groups-first-season. The company needs $8,000 by Nov. 8 to complete their season. Donators receive benefits such as NTG stickers, t-shirts, musicals, thank you notes and tickets to upcoming productions.
Future productions include a Cabaret in March, as well as Ypsi Daze sketch shows every Friday evening in May and June. Performances will be located at the Back Office Studio, 13 N. Washington, Ypsilanti.
Email them at neighborhoodtheatregroup@gmail.com for any questions. You can also follow the NTG on social media: facebook.com/neighborhoodtheatregroup, Instagram @neighborhoodtheatregroup and Twitter @NTGYpsi.