Arts & Entertainment

Published March 12, 2019

Board approves renovation plan for Maple Theater

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved plans to renovate the Maple Theater late last month, along with an amendment to the theater’s liquor license agreement to reflect those changes.

Berkley senior and stage manager of the school’s upcoming production of “Disaster!” Nora Rhein makes some notes during a March 7 rehearsal. According to musical director John Hopkins, Rhein knows the show better than anyone and is the production’s engine.

Published March 12, 2019

Woodward Talk

Berkley High School takes on musical ‘Disaster!’

BERKLEY — Berkley High School’s upcoming spring musical is shaping up to be a real disaster.

Hitting the stage this month is the school’s production of the musical “Disaster!” in which the plot follows a floating casino and nightclub that’s hit with multiple disasters on its opening night. The musical is an homage to the disaster films of the 1970s.

Published March 8, 2019

Mount Clemens - Clinton - Harrison Journal

Fifth installment in sculpture program eyed for this fall

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Erik and Israel Nordin, of the Detroit Design Center, are back in town, and they have a clear idea of what, and where, the next installment in the Harrison Township Beautification Commission’s sculpture program will be.

Published March 8, 2019

Grosse Pointe Times

Writer publishes new poetry collection, ‘Goodbye Toothless House’

CITY — In “Goodbye Toothless House,” her first full-length collection of poetry, Kelly Fordon explores the deceptively serene territory of modern suburbia and exposes dark, sometimes bitter undercurrents.

The Moby Dick sculpture, which is part of the Northland Art Collection, was recently installed in the fountain at the Southfield Public Library, 26000 Evergreen Road.

Published March 6, 2019

Southfield Sun

A whale of a fountain

SOUTHFIELD — A sculpture named after the titular character of Moby Dick, the 1851 novel by Herman Melville, was installed Feb. 21 in the fountain in front of the Southfield Public Library, 26000 Evergreen Road.

Published March 5, 2019

Fraser - Clinton Township Chronicle

The 1970s are ‘right on’ in program series

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Slip into those platform shoes, put on that polyester pantsuit and get ready to do The Hustle: “The 1970s: Heavy, Hip and Happenin’” program at the Lorenzo Cultural Center has begun.

Published March 5, 2019

Grosse Pointe Times

Origami helps artist find her wings

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — Thousands of paper cranes — some only about the size of a dime — have found a safe place to land at Grosse Pointe Congregational Church in Grosse Pointe Farms.

Published March 5, 2019

Farmington Press

Annual film festival prepares to change the world one ticket at a time

FARMINGTON/FARMINGTON HILLS — The sixth annual Greater Farmington Film Festival is preparing to change the world again this year. The six-film lineup will be shown at Farmington Civic Theater March 7-9.

Published March 5, 2019

Birmingham - Bloomfield Eagle

Late Detroit artist featured at BBAC

BIRMINGHAM — Nothing could ever keep artist Mary Ann Aitken from sharing her observant, unique soul with the world, and helping others to do the same. Not even death.

Published March 4, 2019

Royal Oak Review

Royal Oak Symphony Orchestra and Metropolitan Detroit Chorale team up for concert

ROYAL OAK — At 8 p.m. March 15, the Royal Oak Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Detroit Chorale will come together for a joint performance at the recently remodeled Wagner Auditorium at Seaholm High School.

Published March 4, 2019

Royal Oak Review

Royal Oak accepting applications for Art Explored program

ROYAL OAK — The Royal Oak Commission for the Arts is appealing to artists far and wide to apply to its 2019-20 Art Explored program, in which local artists’ art installations are installed throughout the city’s downtown district.

Published February 28, 2019

West Bloomfield Beacon

WBHS student shows off skills on ‘American Ninja Warrior Junior’

WEST BLOOMFIELD — West Bloomfield resident Sophia Beaulieu, 14, knows how to perform body-twisting feats and maneuvers that show off her physical prowess — while suspended over water, no less.

Beaulieu was a contestant on “American Ninja Warrior Junior” through Universal Kids last fall, which was scheduled to air March 2.

Published February 26, 2019

Troy Times

Get the dish at Taste of Troy

A popular harbinger of spring returns to tempt taste buds at the 27th annual Taste of Troy March 3 to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Troy.

Kate Mazzara, a librarian at Clinton-Macomb Public Library South Branch, joined a group of librarians from across the state to select this year’s list of Michigan Notable Books.

Published February 26, 2019

Fraser - Clinton Township Chronicle

Faygo, Red Wings and MC5: Michigan’s Notable Books of 2019

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Michigan’s rich history is exemplified in literary works on an annual basis, and only a chosen few make the cut as the best representations.

Alexander Ray, left, top, and Bradley Egrin, will bring a nine-part web series titled “Dragnet of Spies” to the big and small screens.

Published February 20, 2019

C&G Newspapers

Film school grad with autism realizes dream

The collaboration between Rochester Hills resident Alexander Ray, 32, and Southfield resident Bradley Egrin, 26, both actors and filmmakers, had an unlikely start at the Motion Picture Institute of Michigan in Troy in 2012.

Published February 20, 2019

C&G Newspapers

Exhibition by artists and designers Ruben and Isabel Toledo is fashionably great

DETROIT — Works in the Detroit Institute of Arts’ permanent collection served as the inspiration for several exciting new pieces by husband and wife artists Ruben and Isabel Toledo.

Timothy Zajaros Jr., from Farmington, is a Los Angeles producer of the soon-to-be-released “Arctic,” set to premiere Feb. 22 at The Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township.

Published February 19, 2019

Farmington Press

Local producer to premiere ‘Arctic’ at The Maple

FARMINGTON — Timothy Zajaros Jr. worked to perfect his craft for some time to get to where he is now: at the top.

Zajaros — whose name may be familiar in the Farmington community — grew up in the city and is a Los Angeles producer, with works such as Netflix’s “Mudbound,” “Mom and Dad,” and the soon-to-be-released “Arctic” under his belt.

Published February 19, 2019

Advertiser Times

College for Creative Studies exhibits work of artists with special needs

DETROIT — A new exhibit at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit is recognizing the work of local artists with special needs.

Cole Giles, of Madison Heights, will be bringing his 1951 Chevrolet Fleetline to this year’s Autorama, which will be held March 1-3 at Cobo Center in Detroit. The 18-year-old started with just the car’s body and shell and built it out from there.

Published February 15, 2019

Madison - Park News

Custom car fans rev up for Autorama

METRO DETROIT — Auto enthusiasts from across the region will be rolling into Detroit’s Cobo Center during the first three days of March for this year’s Autorama, billed as “America’s Greatest Hot Rod Show.”

Published February 13, 2019

Grosse Pointe Times

Liggett students to put on ‘Guys and Dolls,’ graduate to appear on CBS

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — The theater students at University Liggett School are forever developing their performance skills through hard work, passion, collaboration and more. The public will have the opportunity to watch them showcase their talents over the next few weeks both on television and live onstage.