With only three performances of Puppet Scrooge left in this production season, it's a bittersweet moment as we watch it go.  It is always an amazing experience to bring such joy and spirit to so many people, and I'm so proud of our production team and puppeteers for the great work they've done to bring this story to life.

Looking on to the future, our staff is very excited to bring the inaugural Detroit Dreaming Film Festival to the space!  We've received submissions from many film makers and can't wait to share them with all of you! The Film Festival will take place January 25-27, and we'll be releasing a screening schedule shortly.  Check out our Detroit Dreaming Film Festival website, the Matrix Theatre website, and our Facebook page and Twitter Feed for up to date information!

Puppet Scrooge is almost here!

Marley makes his haunting appearance!
(But don't worry - he's not too scary!)

The annual Matrix Theatre Company holiday tradition of Puppet Scrooge is back again!  This delightful, family-friendly puppet production is gearing up for its fifth year of performances, and we can tell you it's the best one yet!

Each year, the creators or Puppet Scrooge focus on making the show better than the year before.  This way, if you've seen the show in years past, it's still a new and fun experience for you!

This year's director, Carrie Morris, has focused a lot on bringing in an element of audience participation for the kids!  Benches will provide added up-close seating for children, which is where a lot of the audience participation will take place.  Not to worry, though, parents - you won't be too far away.  The 50-seat theater creates a very intimate experience for the audience, and you'll be able to see your child from any seat in the house!

Director Carrie Morris takes a moment of
rehearsal to make sure all of the puppetry
details are absolutely perfect!

We are happy to announce that the Make & Take Workshops are making a grand return with the production this year!  Starting one hour before each performance, children will be able to make their way upstairs to the studio and create their own hand puppet - that will then get to participate in the show!  Make & Takes are included in the price of a child's ticket, but ANYONE can make their own puppet for just $5!

Looking for more information?  Check out the production page on our website, or take a look at the preview published on EncoreMichigan.com!  When you're ready, you can send us a message to reserve tickets, or you can simply call the box office at 313-967-0599 to reserve or purchase your seats!

Puppet Scrooge runs from November 30 - December 16, 2012.  Performances are Fridays at 7pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm.  All performances will take place at:

Matrix Theatre Company

2730 Bagley Street

Detroit, MI 48216

We can't wait to see you for this fantastic family-friendly event!  

Hey, everybody!  It's that time of year again!  Puppet Scrooge is on its way to Matrix Theatre's stage!  We're SO excited about this production and we hope you are, too!

This year, the puppet Make & Takes are included in the price of a child's ticket, so no worries about additional fees.  AND, the director of the show promises that there will be some special audience participation for the little ones, too!

Seating for this production is a little limited, so make sure you get your tickets early so that you don't miss it! It's guaranteed to be a good time for everyone, and we can't wait to get into the holiday spirit with you!

Tickets for adults are $12, tickets for students (13+) and seniors (65+) are $10, and tickets for children (12 and under) that include the Make & Take are $10.  Get an adult ticket for free if you purchase 10 or more children's tickets.  For more information or to reserve tickets, call 313-967-0599 or visit our website.

All performances of Puppet Scrooge will take place at Matrix Theatre Company.  We are located at 2730 Bagley Street, Detroit, MI 48216 in the heart of Southwest Detroit.

Hey, everybody!  Megan Buckley, Director of Production, here!  Only two very short days until Death and the Maiden opens here at Matrix!  Have you reserved your tickets yet?  We're selling pretty quickly for opening night and are so excited about the great amount of interest we're getting!

I had the opportunity to see a run-through of the show last night and I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY.  This show has everything from threats and thoughts of torture and murder to achingly tender moments between a husband and wife.

The three actors in the show, Karen Kron, Patrick Loos, and Samer Ajluni, do an amazing job with each of their performances.  I can't begin to imagine the challenges found when placing yourself into the world of this play, but they pull it off without fail.

If you're a Matrix regular or if you've never been to our little theater before, this is one to see.

You can purchase or reserve tickets by calling 313-967-0599.  Adults are $20, students and seniors are $15.  It's worth it - I promise.

*Please note that this play contains adult subject matter and language, and is not intended for children.* 

Death and the Maiden
Featuring Karen Kron as Paulina,
Patrick Loos as Gerardo, and
Samer Ajluni as Dr. Roberto Miranda

Hey there, Matrix Theatre fans!  There is so much happening here at Matrix these days - and we're just about to get our season opener up and running!  We are so excited to present to you Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden!  This play is so very powerful and carries strong parallels to our country's current political experience - it is DEFINITELY a must-see!

We are particularly proud of this production, as we're looking at it as a very important turning point for Matrix's professional theatre company.

The production staff, made up of:

Director of Production, Megan Buckley 
Community Outreach and Group Sales Manager, Molly McMahon 
Director of Operations, Chris Blunden, and
Marketing Consultant, Kate Brennan,

have been pushing to get this 2012-2013 Season up on its feet!  All we need now is for you to come and enjoy the fruits of our labors!

Beyond just getting the show ready, though, we've also completely overhauled the lobby, are working on building a completely accessible box office counter, have re-vamped our entire website, and have begun implementing new box office software - all of which means an easier and more aesthetically pleasing experience for you, the audience member!

Our new website, though still a work in progress, is looking fantastic!  You can check it out by clicking here!  Soon, you'll be able to purchase tickets online and print them from home, just by clicking on a few links!  (Don't worry - you'll ALWAYS be able to call in and purchase your tickets over the phone or at the door, if you prefer!)

As you come and visit us this season (and hopefully for Death and the Maiden!!!), we'd love to hear what you think of the new look and feel of Matrix - because it's really important to us that YOU love it, too!

If at any point you have any questions or need any information about what's going on in the Production Department here at Matrix, feel free to call 313-967-0999, extension 4.  We'll be happy to answer any questions you might have!  You can reserve tickets by calling our box office line at 313-967-0599!

In the meantime, we hope you all had a great summer, and we can't wait to see you in just a few weeks!

Well, another Matrix Theatre Company production season has come to a close!  But don't you worry - we're already knee-deep in planning for next season!   Death and the Maiden is slotted to begin rehearsals in just a few short weeks, and we have TONS to do before then!  Chris, our Director of Operations, is working on a season brochure, Molly and Kate are working on plotting out our marketing schedule, and I'm finding production personnel to hire for the season.  It's a busy time here at MTC!

The joint general auditions are coming up fast, too!  If you haven't heard of them before, you can check them out here. It's a pretty cool gathering of people, and Matrix is definitely proud to be a part of it!

We have a big day here at Matrix on June 2nd!  It is our third and final WaterFest celebration!  The day kicks off at 11:30am with a collective performance from the students of our education classes.  Bring a picnic lunch and lots of sunscreen (and maybe an umbrella, too - this is Michigan, after all!) and prepare to have a great day!  We'll have face painting, musical entertainment, field games, grass dancing workshops, a Make'n'Take for the kids, and lots of all-around fun!  You can join the Facebook event by clicking here, and feel free to call us at the office if you have any questions!

Do you know about our upcoming summer camps?  July and August are always such a fun time around the office because there are so many kids doing so many great activities!  Growing gardens, making puppets, putting on plays... they're BUSY!  Camps start July 9th for 8-11 year olds, July 23rd for 14-18 year olds, and August 6th for 12-14 year olds.  For more info, click here!

That's all for today!  Back to work!

Hi Everyone!

This is Molly McMahon, the Community Relations Coordinator for Matrix and I am THRILLED to tell you about our 2012-2013 professional season!  The production department here spent months poring over scripts and we finally settled on some great scripts that run the gamut from funny to nail-biting.

Our first show is Death and the Maiden.  This story focuses on Paulina, a torture survivor who believes she has met her torturer.  It is a play by Ariel Dorfman, a playwright and human rights activist, who experienced first hand the consequences of dictatorship as a citizen of Chile.  This play is extremely complex and will force audiences to confront their own feelings about memory, torture, love and forgiveness.  One of the reasons we've chose this play for Matrix's upcoming season was that it not only highlights issues within the context of social justice, but it also will hopefully encourage our patrons to discuss these issues and their feelings about the play with others.

Our second show of the professional season is decidedly more light hearted.  Puppet Scrooge will delight audiences again this season with its unique retelling of the Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol.  For those of you who have seen productions of Puppet Scrooge in the past, this year's will be better than ever.  The production has evolved over the years from more experimental to a solid production with lots of laughs and holiday spirit.  We have put our own Detroit spin on the show that you won't find anywhere else this holiday season.

Our third and final show of the professional season is Phoenix.  Written by Scott Organ, this play tells the story of the aftermath of a one-night stand between two people searching for very different things in life.  As the characters attempt to reconcile their current situations, they discover that what they think they desire, may not in fact be what they need.  This play is very humorous, but also has tender moments as well.  The script was published in 2010 so this is the most contemporary of the plays we've chosen.  We've decided to produce this play because of its humor but also its willingness to examine themes of isolation and the way people deal with it.

And, we've got something totally new, never before done at Matrix Theatre Company... next January, we are hosting a film festival called Detroit Dreaming.  That's right, we are branching out into other artistic media and adding some film to our theatre season!  We'll start taking submissions for the festival soon so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming information.  We hope through this festival that we can expose our community to films, created by a variety film makers, centered around Detroit themes.

In addition to our professional season, we are also looking forward to our School of Theatre season.  This second stage series features the talents of our Matrix Teen Company.  Their productions of Haunted Theatre in the fall and an originally written show in the spring, are always fun events to look forward to.

Well... that's all I have for now!  Keep checking our blog for more information, announcements and upcoming events.  Thanks for reading and peace!

Hello, everyone!

Welcome to the very first Matrix Theatre Company Production Blog!  My name is Megan Buckley and I'm the Director of Production here at Matrix.   We've decided to put together a production blog to give you a look at what we do here behind the scenes to get our show up and running and ready for you to see!

Right now, we have our final production of the year running: Raven's Seed.  The show was written by award-winning playwright, Stephen Most.  Stephen lives in California and has been working with us via Skype, e-mail, and some in-person visits to get the show just right.  Shaun Nethercott, our Executive Director, directed the show, and we had a fabulous team of actors and designers to support her vision.  Megan Harris created all of the animal masks and costumes and did an AMAZING job!  Check out this great photo of Coyote!

If you haven't checked out the show yet, you only have four more chances to do so!  

Saturday, May 12 at 3pm

Sunday, May 13 at 3pm

AND

Saturday, May 19 at 3pm

Sunday, May 20 at 3pm

As always, you can reserve your tickets by calling 313-967-0599.  

Want to know what some reviewers are saying about the show?  You can see John Quinn's review on Encoremichigan.com by clicking here, or see David Sands' review in the Huffington Post by clicking here.

Back to work!  Have a great day, everyone!

Megan