Dormouse Theatre
T heArts
Spotlighting greater Kalamazoo's arts community
Venue provides platform for many voices
Brian Powers
BY JESSI PHILLIPS
T
he moment you step inside the Dormouse Theatre, at 1030 Portage St., the energy and ethos of the space assert themselves. Two naked mannequins flank the worn wooden stage of the former church. Above the dais towers a grand wooden arch. Rainbows of light filter through stained-glass windows. The works of local artists line the walls. It’s the unique vision of Artistic Director Stephen Dupuie that has turned this 200-seat performance space in the Edison neighborhood into a creative hub for a community of actors, artists and musicians and their offbeat performances of sketch comedy, scripted theater and music.
Dormouse Theatre founder Stephen Dupuie inside the theater — a former church — located at the corner of Portage and Lake streets.
When asked about the spirit of the Dormouse, whose name comes from the classic Lewis Carroll novel Alice in Wonderland, Dupuie says, “Part of it has to do with where we are situated. We’re not downtown. I see us fitting into ‘alternative downtown.’” The story of the Dormouse began in 2017, when Dupuie, a Michigan native and alumnus of Northern Michigan University’s performing arts program, decided to finally pull the trigger and launch his own venue. He initially cast a citywide net in his search for space, viewing w w w.encorekalamazoo.com | 21
