The Detroit Mercy Theatre Company (DMTC) is the recipient of two 2022 Wilde Awards for outstanding work on the stage.
“Antigone” won an award for Best Play and its director Sarah Hawkins Rusk, scored a Best Director award.
“This recognition is incredibly significant for our program and for our students,” said Professor Greg Grobis, managing director of the DMTC. “Encore Michigan only recognizes professional theatre companies. This elevates the caliber of our University productions to professional status.”
The Wilde Awards – named in honor of 19th Century playwright Oscar Wilde – recognizes the best productions, performances and technical work produced or presented by professional theaters across the state. Nominations are based on reviews written by EncoreMichigan.com’s team of professional critics.
Earlier this year, the DMTC production of “Antigone” was awarded two national awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, an honor last achieved in the 1970s.
In addition, the production received five commendations for work on the production:
- The company of Antigone for collaboration and also for achievement in representation, equity and diversity
- Maritoni Harte for choreography
- Mary Elizabeth Valesano for costume design
- Alan Devlin for scenic design
“Our theatre model stresses collaboration and mentorship with professional artists is clearly a winning formula,” said Grobis. “We are honored and humbled by these awards. And we are so excited for our students to receive this independent acknowledgement of their skills.”
“The College is thrilled for DMTC to receive these awards,” said Jocelyn Boryczka, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Education. “Theatre is central to the Liberal Arts. It draws on our fields of study — in this case philosophy, history and literature in ‘Antigone’ — to push us to think beyond what is known to what is possible.”
The next DMTC production, “Pride and Prejudice,” hits the stage in February 2023. Tickets are available now at detroitmercyartsuniversitytickets.com.
