By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

WEST BLOOMFIELD — Lovers of the theater and creative arts will have a weekend full of culture when the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit puts on its first Stephen Gottlieb Festival of the Arts Sept. 9-13.

The festival is an exciting prelude to the Sept. 18 Jewish New Year, said Carol Weintraub Fogel, JCC chairwoman of arts, culture and education.

“We really have something for everyone, and we love that the JCC is able to introduce and invite so many to a sampling of the outstanding, nationally recognized programs that are a part of our community throughout the year,” she said.

According to Heidi Budaj, JCC director of Jewish life and learning, the community center created the festival because it wanted to start off its season of cultural events with a bang.

Several JCC committees in charge of film, books, education, music and more collaborated on the event.

“It really has been a joy, because normally each festival worked on its own festival,” Budaj said. “They’ve never really worked together before to create something like this.”

According to Budaj, some of the festival’s events will have a theatrical flair. “We are concentrating on show tunes and a walk down Broadway,” she said.

For instance, the festival will host the comedic play “World of Jewtopia” Sept. 12-13. The play is “an irreverent look at Jewish life” that is currently on an off-Broadway run, she said.

“‘Jewtopia’ is going to be so exciting because this is the first time that the actual show … has come to Detroit,” she said. “This is world-class entertainment that we are able to bring to our community.”

In addition, the Miracle of Miracles concert features two native Detroiters, Danny Gurwin and Erin Dilly, who have found success on Broadway, Budaj said.

Bibliophiles will also have a reason to cheer. An exhibit for Maurice Sendak, author of the children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are,” will have a grand opening Sept. 13. And former “Saturday Night Live” writer Alan Zweibel will speak about his book of short stories, called “Clothing Optional.”

The book depicts Zweibel’s assignment to cover a community of nudists, Budaj said. “He’s kind of shy, so this experience of being in a nudist colony is really hilarious,” she said.

However, the arts festival is more than laughs. Some activities will be political in nature, such as Wayne State University professor Wendy Evans’ lecture, “The Nazi Use of Art as Propaganda.”

Getting the perfect balance between fun and learning was a challenge that the festival organizers confronted, Budaj said. Because the festival is open to all cultures and faiths — not just JCC members — she said it was important to work in tandem with non-Jewish community organizations.

“We like to bring Jewish culture, Jewish music,” Budaj said, “but we do try to make sure that at each event that we put forth, there is an underlying educational component.”

The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit, 6600 W. Maple Road, will host its 2009 Stephen Gottlieb Festival of the Arts Sept. 9-13. Call (248) 432-5466 for tickets and more information.