Help Planet Ant Grow to Be Even Bigger and Better

A lot of people grow up thinking that the only way that they are going to make a name for themselves is to leave Detroit. But, over the last thirty years, a few key people thought differently and those people have built spaces where the already affluent artistic community of Detroit is currently flourishing. This includes new spaces like Assemble Sound that are bringing music making back to Motown, and older spaces like Planet Ant who have been supporting acting and theater since 1993.

This mecca of art, music, theater, film and more started as a small coffee shop were a little group of Detroiters could share their skills and eventually expanded into a multi building non-profit that is helping the artistic community thrive. 

One of the reasons that they have had such a positive impact on their community is that they put their money where their mouth is. A lot of local collectives promise that they will help enrich and support their neighborhoods, but they do very little for those that aren't involved with their groups or directly supporting them with funding. Planet Ant does exactly the opposite. They support lots of other groups and causes in the community throughout the year. This includes barely blinking when we asked to host a vegan event in their space last year. They staffed the room and supported us in every way that they could because they wanted to, which is the coolest thing you can do.

Now, it's our turn to help support them so that they can keep up the good work. They are asking for donations to help build out their space even more. You can get a full picture of what they hope to do by reading through their campaign here, and you can donate to their cause by clicking here. We can assure you that Planet Ant will use every dollar to keep building and maintaining a community within their walls and within the Metro Detroit area. 

The fundraiser will run through December 18th at 3 p.m. and there are all sorts of perks that you can claim for throwing some money into the jar. If we do not support the spaces that support us, they will not exist.  

~S 

Win Tickets to Christmas: Impossible at Planet Ant Theatre

This year Planet Ant is taking it back old school for their holiday show. They are bringing a fresh adaption of their 2003 holiday comedy to the stage. This new adaption is called Christmas: Impossible. The show tells the story of Ole Solcheck, a fallen angel who is trying to find their way back to the heaven, but making things right here on earth. The director, Dave Davies, was part of the original cast that brought the 2003 show to the stage, this play is his chance to tell the story.

The first weekend of this show already sold out and we expect that the next two weeks will do just as well. So, we reached out to Planet Ant and asked for a pair of tickets to give away to this Friday's show. If you would like to laugh and enjoy some live theatre this holiday season, please email your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with the subject line #christmas. We will draw one lucky person this Friday morning and they will get to attend this Friday's show for free. If you cant make that show or don't win the tickets, you can still see the play in person. To buy tickets, click here.

To learn more about Planet Ant and all the cool things that they are up to click here.

~S 

Riot Grrrl 90s at Planet Ant

If you were a Riot Grrrl back in the '90s you have to get to the Planet Ant Theatre this month! They are featuring a show called Riot Grrrl 90s and it is the story of two of those riot girls. Written and directed by Dyan Bailey, this show is, "...Set in 1990s suburbia, Rachel and Jen meet in French class and become instant best friends. Their mutual love of Nintendo, Riot Grrrl music and smoking cigarettes gets disrupted when Rachel's neighbor, Mike, starts hanging around." We can only imagine what happens after that! As two girls that met in English class, bonded over music, and became best friends for 20+ years, this is a story Sadie and I can definitely relate to and can't wait to see! We're sure it will speak to the 90s girl in all of us.

If you want to see this show for yourself, you have 3 weekends to get to Planet Ant. The show opens this weekend and will run thru January 30th. Showtimes are on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Tickets are only $10. You can pick yours up or make reservations online here. Tickets are also available at the box office, which opens 30 minutes before showtime.

Planet Ant is located in Hamtramck at 2357 Caniff. Just look for the big purple building! For more info, head to PlanetAnt.com.

~C