Arts And Culture Festival And August Street Fair Announced by Detroit Repertory Theatre

The Detroit Repertory Theatre, in partnership with neighbors Dream of Detroit, the HUDA Clinic, Muslim Center, and HUG Community Garden, is excited to announce the 2nd Annual Arts & Culture Festival and Street Fair at its home in the geographical center of Detroit on Saturday, August 25, 2018 from 10 am to 8 pm. This free, all day, outdoor event is made possible by a grant from ART Ops, and Community HeART of Highland Park and is a celebration of the arts, neighborhood revitalization, healthy living, community, and the power of diversity acting in unity in Detroit.

Roar and Thunder, a youth drum line, will launch the Festival with a procession from Avalon Village in Highland Park to the Theatre. Two outdoor stages will present multidisciplinary performances; children's theatre, dance, a sneak peek of the upcoming DRT Season, spoken word, live classical music, hip hop, a Mardi Gras Second Line, Swing, Jazz, Reggae and Funk. Over 50 artists and vendors will be selling a variety of wares.

The early part of the day is dedicated to kids, with Detroit Imagination Works' interactive arts activities, face painting, balloon animals and puppetry plus a bounce house, basketball tournament, video game trailer, and a writing and acting workshop. WRENCH DETROIT will hold a bike repair workshop. Bring in bikes for repair or to donate.

Community initiatives include gardening lessons with the HUG community garden, basic health assessments at the HUDA Clinic, and tours of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum.

Woodrow Wilson will be closed to traffic for two city blocks from Buena Vista to Tyler in front of the Theatre. There is secured parking in the Muslim Center parking lot and plenty of parking on Woodrow Wilson and side streets. There will be activities in multiple areas, on the street, at the garden, and in each organization's parking lots. The Theatre lobby will be open for festival goers to step in, purchase a beverage, meet Theatre staff and learn more about the iconic arts institution.

About the performances:

10 am - Roar and Thunder Drum Line - Procession from Avalon Village in Highland Park to the Detroit Repertory Theatre. Roar and Thunder is an award-winning, Highland Park based drum line comprised of 20 drummers ages 7 to 14;

11 am - OH Possum's Tale, original children's play written by Detroit Rep actor Casaundra Freeman, about a squirrel, seagull, hawk and opossum trying to understand their individual identities while navigating their busy lives on Belle Isle;

12 pm - Playwriting and Acting Workshop for youth
with the Detroit Playwrights' Lab,
on the stage inside the Detroit Repertory Theatre;

1 pm - CutTime Simfonica with special guest Urban Requiem Project - Highland Park bassist-composer Rick Robinson brings his popular band of strings and drums to cut classical music loose with strong beats, rhythm, soul and funk to work for wider communities. Teaming up with the Urban Requiem Project, lead poet Kevlar Afrika layers street-styled lines over symphonic jams to give a historical and industrial context to the urgent music. Audiences get to join in at times on small percussion;

2 pm - Mo and Riahh - Hip hop, modern and jazz dance duo; These high school students have performed at Noel Night in Detroit, and with the No Limit Crew, young dancers and singers on a mission to change the view of youth in Detroit;

2:30 pm - Xavier Jack - Young, up and coming Hip Hop Artist and Poet. This will be his first public performance since his debut release KXNGRXSE (KingRose);

3 pm - Gabriel Brass Band - Mardi Gras style second line. The Gabriel Brass Band is a family tradition that has been passed down for six generations. The Gabriel Brass Band honors the rich history of New Orleans music while delivering a joyful sound that excites the modern ear;

4 pm - "Sneak Peek"
Staged readings of scenes from the upcoming Detroit Repertory 2018/19 season;

5 pm - Planet D Nonet with special guest Camille Price - The PLANET D NONET "a down & dirty little swing band from Detroit" was founded by drummer RJ Spangler and trumpeter James O'Donnell. The Planet D Nonet is about swing, blues, space-age jazz and classic American songs all served with plenty of good humor with an eye toward turning people onto this kind of music;

6:30 pm - Mollywop! - Detroit-based band led by Malik Yakini that plays hard-hitting original and classic funk, reggae, rock and more!

?More information may be found at detroitreptheatre.com

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