http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_42nd_Street

Until now, I wasn't aware that there was a organized effort to rehab the NYC theater district's theaters. My parents just took a trip to NYC and saw a show. Combined with the NY Times articles on the forum, I got thinking.

Is there potential for a similar initiative in Detroit? A collaboration of theater owners to increase the use of Detroit's many notable performance spaces. Maybe it could be called the "New Grand Circus."

Detroit has a number of beautifully restored or maintained theater spaces. I was going to remind everybody of the vast number of venues but I found this wikipedia article, so I'll just post a link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_in_Detroit

There are also a number of smaller venues that this article misses.

I'm wondering if the competitors Nederlander and Olympia might be able to join forces to increase the size of the pie that they fight over. It seems to me that getting some of the many small theater companies in the city into larger venues with more exposure would increase interest in Detroit theater. Another potential idea is to bring shows from elsewhere in Michigan into Detroit for limited engagements.

Of course the restaurants probably stand to gain as much as anybody from busy theaters, but bars and hotels also benefit from these events. There are other players in the market as well, like the casinos, LiveNation, and the Kresge Foundation [[owns the Music Hall).

It might help to motive the reuse of the United Artists and National theaters. And possibly over the longer tern the reconstruction of something were the Adams once stood. The goal however, wouldn't be restored buildings, but a vibrant entertainment and performance arts market. It seems to me that this is one area where Detroit has exceptional "bones" [[potential) and this potential is very synergistic with other aspects of Detroit's rebirth.