“The play’s the thing,” as the Bard once said.
Neighborhood Theatre Group in Ypsilanti has spent the last decade promoting local theatre by offering productions and workshops to the community. Founded by Kristin Anne Danko and Aaron Dean in 2015, NTG currently works with over 40 artists at their residency space in downtown Ypsilanti.
“The mission of NTG is to make theatre an accessible home for the collaboration of people, artistic challenges, and new ideas,” Danko said.
“NTG is important to the community because we offer both the audience and the artist a stake in original and artistically motivated theatre. We’re trying to change the mindset that theatre is something that comes from some glamorous faraway place by glamorous faraway people.”
From Chicago to Ypsilanti
Danko and Dean bring their big city experience to a smaller scale. After meeting and working together in Chicago, they moved to Ypsilanti so that Danko could continue her education.
“I was an actor in Chicago for eight years before I moved to Ypsilanti with my partner and NTG co-founder, Aaron Dean in 2013,” Danko said. She holds a BA in Theatre and Music from Converse College, and an MA from Eastern Michigan University. She is currently pursuing a PhD from University of Kentucky. In addition to her work with NTG, she also teaches part-time at EMU’s Arts Management program, and also offers private voice and piano lessons.
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In addition to productions, NTG also offers bi-monthly artist mixers, where artists of all disciplines can connect, as well as workshops and classes.
“Currently, we have an adult scene study class on offer. Our spring session starts March 30. In the future, we hope to have many other classes and workshops, from playwriting to lighting design.”
Past productions, future performances
Past productions at NTG have included “Cryptic” (2018), “A Man for Christmas” (2019 and 2023), “Thoughts and Prayers” (2020) and “Lee’s Grand Tiki” (2024). They also offer sketch comedy shows and an annual Black Cat Halloween show.
The next production will be “The Hotel Del Gado: An Anthology Play,” which will run March 7-9 and March 14-16 at The Back Office Studio.
“We are also working on ‘A Stranger in My Breakfast Nook,’ a musical parody of 1990’s Lifetime Channel thrillers. This production will open May 9,” Danko said.
Bridging the gap between artist and audience
Danko believes that NTG holds a unique place in the community by offering artists a venue to perform and giving audience members a local entertainment experience.
“As an artistic home, NTG typically serves returning and developing theatre artists. As a community arts organization and entertainment option, we serve anyone who wishes to see vibrant, totally original, thought-provoking theatre from scratch for a reasonable price.”
“We like to bridge the gap between artist and audience. Our shows are done in a non-traditional setting. We are so lucky to have a residency at The Back Office Studio in the heart of downtown Ypsilanti.”
For more information on upcoming events and to purchase tickets, visit ntgypsi.org.
