Hilberry Gateway

Hilberry Gateway is Wayne State University’s performing arts complex at the corner of Cass and Forest, and the newest chapter in a training-ground legacy that goes back to 1964, when the university first converted a 1917 church into the original Hilberry Theatre. That building closed for renovation in 2022 after nearly 60 years and reopened in 2023 as the reimagined Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center, while a brand-new complex next door — a 513-seat proscenium theatre and a flexible 143-seat studio space — took over as the department’s live theatre home.

It’s a genuine training ground rather than a passive-viewing house: students in the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance handle everything from acting and design to stage management, and the season mixes classic drama (Shakespeare, Arthur Miller), contemporary work, and big family-friendly musicals, plus dedicated student matinees with post-show talkbacks for school groups.

On our radar for genuinely well-produced student theatre at a fraction of professional ticket prices, or for catching the next wave of Detroit’s theatre talent before they’re the ones headlining the Fisher.