Featuring: Dale Dorlin (Theatre Management MFA student)

What drew you to pursue theatre management at Wayne State University

Leadership In The Arts Through Theatre Management in Detroit. Theatre Managers are the force behind the art form that provides a platform for messaging, and cultivates support. They’re the point of communication to any and all external entities that maintain the organization’s health and livelihood ranging from contractors, vendors, donors, and media personnel, to the community and immediate public. Although theatre managers and arts administrators are not normally involved in program curation, as audience engagers, we exist for the purpose of provoking and inspiring our communities to find the moral imperatives within the art itself. Theatre Management is so much more than what most business principles can offer. It’s a school of thought and leadership that has prime purpose and fulfillment both internally as a collaborator in artistry, and externally as the face of organizational initiatives. And what better place to study than at Wayne State University, where you not only get an urban setting, but you also get to study in one of the country’s largest non-profit arts incubators, Detroit? As a native resident, I’m very pleased to witness a pivotal moment of transformation where the economy is thriving and the city itself is attracting top talent from all over the world. If you have an idea, need an audience and a place to start, without a doubt, Detroit is the place to be.

What is your favorite production you have worked on so far?

The Raisin Cycle. My proudest project to date was leading the promotion, outreach, and community engagement for The Raisin Cycle, a three-play series based on and around Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun. A Raisin In The Sun is a powerful piece of Black Theatre and American Literature that is both a timeless representation and the first realistic portrayal of an African-American family in the 1950s—a time where integration and civil rights was staring segregation and racism in the face and challenging its existence stronger than it ever has in U.S. history. My personal goal was for everyone who saw even one out of the three productions within The Raisin Cycle to leave feeling empowered to have a discussion about race and what it means to our society today and not to shy away from the subject matter, but to embrace it for everything that it is and has been. The strategy was to build heavy audience engagement through an organizational partnership within the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, talkbacks, pre-show discussions, photo exhibitions, and cast meet and greets. It is our duty as presenters to connect with our public and our audiences to push society forward and bring about the social justice initiatives behind powerful programming.

What are your favorite campus activities at Wayne State?

Wayne State is a vibrant campus that has pristine facilities such as our student center, recreation center and multiple libraries for studying. I especially enjoy the student center, which was recently renovated. With places to study, collaborate, and grab quick lunches, you could essentially live there. And during exams and times of needed focus, sometimes I do.