Poletown was a once vibrant, ethnically diverse neighborhood in Detroit. In its prime, it had a store on every corner. Its theaters, restaurants, and schools thrived, and its churches catered to multiple denominations. The Rochester Hills Public Library (RHPL) presents “Detroit's Lost Poletown” with author Brianne Turczynski on April 29 at 7:00 p.m. on the library’s online Zoom platform. In 1981, General Motors announced plans for a new plant in Detroit and pointed to the 465 acres of … [Read more...]
Oakland University to present virtual, staged reading of playwright Kitty Dubin’s ‘The Marriage Spectrum’ on Nov. 20
November 16, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Play examines the impact on a marriage of having a child on the autism spectrum The Joanne and Ted Lindsay Foundation, Oakland University’s Center for Autism Outreach Services (OUCARES), and the Oakland University Department of Theatre will present a virtual, staged reading of The Marriage Spectrum at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20 on YouTube. The play, written by OU Lecturer and Award-Winning Playwright Kitty Dubin and directed by Assistant Professor of Theatre David Gram, The Marriage … [Read more...]
Drama ‘Mary Jane’ Shines a Light on a Mother’s Life with a Chronically Ill Child
March 3, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Running at Meadow Brook Theatre March 18 through April 12, 2020 Mary Jane loves her son, Alex. All she wants is for him to be healthy and happy. However, Alex is chronically ill, which makes life challenging. While Mary Jane is perpetually optimistic, she is also tired and scared. She needs to know she’s not alone. Sometimes support comes from unexpected places, and you learn family isn’t just the people you’re related to. Mary Jane, by Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog, runs March 18 … [Read more...]
Declaration of Independence: The Words Heard Around the World
February 28, 2020 by Leave a Comment
The Rochester Hills Public Library and Smart Towns presents “Declaration of Independence: The Words Heard Around the World” with Dr. John Todd March 10 The Rochester Hills Public Library will host “Declaration of Independence: The Words Heard Around the World” with Dr. John Todd of Rochester University on March 10, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the library’s Multipurpose Room. Dr. Todd will discuss the origins of the Declaration of Independence, its purposes, and how it changed the world. Dr. Todd … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Meadow Brook Theatre’s ‘Working’ Celebrates the Hope and Heart that Built America
February 17, 2020 by Leave a Comment
America was built by men and women who displayed tremendous ingenuity and grit. A new country didn’t happen overnight, so they rolled up their sleeves and put in the work — a lot of hard work. This past Saturday, Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) paid homage to the plight of the American worker with the musical Working, now playing until March 8 on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester, MI. Based off the 1974 best-selling book by Studs Terkel, Working shines a spotlight on 26 average … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Oakland University’s ‘Macbeth’ Delivers a Powerful Examination of the Carnage Caused by Desire and Deception
February 7, 2020 by Leave a Comment
A little over five years ago I went to the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada to see a production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Once there I quickly learned through the grapevine that people either loved it or hated it; during some performances, people actually walked out. That is when it dawned on me there are two types of Shakespeare enthusiasts. First, the purists. Those who want only traditional costumes, settings, and no interpretation of the script. Second, are … [Read more...]
Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ Coming to Oakland University Stage
February 3, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Come Experience 'Double, double, toil and trouble' February 6 - 9, 13 - 16 Something “wicked” is coming to the Oakland University (OU) stage as the Department of Theatre presents William Shakespeare’s Macbeth — a cautionary tale about the trappings of power and what happens when vaulting ambition takes priority over the people one is expected to govern — from February 6-9, 13-16 in the Varner Studio Theatre on the OU campus. “With Brexit on the horizon, we have set our play in an imagined … [Read more...]
REVIEW: Mirth, Mischief, and Marriage Cast a Spell in ‘Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit’ at Meadow Brook Theatre
January 10, 2020 by Leave a Comment
Later this year, Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit will once again occupy space in London’s West End. But the good news is you don’t have book a flight to see this comedic masterpiece. Just head over to Meadow Brook Theatre (MBT) on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester where it is playing through February 2, 2020. Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit begins on what seems to be a typical English evening. Unfortunately for dandy Charles Condomine (Timothy C. Goodwin), this is the night when his life … [Read more...]
Oakland Professor Tells of World War II Daring During National Friends of Library Week
October 18, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Oakland University professor Frank Cardimen will be the featured speaker at the Annual Membership Meeting of the Friends of the Rochester Hills Public Library on Thursday, October 24 in the multipurpose room of the library, 500 Olde Towne Road in downtown Rochester. Cardimen’s presentation on “America’s Invasion at the ‘Underbelly’ of Europe” is scheduled to run from 7-8:30 p.m. and will follow the business portion of the Friends annual public meeting. A popular and engrossing speaker, … [Read more...]
Dear Crabby, Do You Watch Scary Movies?
October 16, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Dear Crabby, Every October, the Freeform channel does ’31 Nights of Halloween.’ The movies shown are pretty tame: The Addams Family, Ghostbusters, Hocus Pocus, you get the idea. Do you watch Halloween movies? And if you do are they the really scary ones like Nightmare on Elm Street? Thanks! Gwen Gothic Dear Gwen Gothic, Last year a reader asked what I thought about haunted houses. I told this person that I find daily life scary enough and I don’t need to fork over my hard-earned … [Read more...]
