6 ABC Loves The Playhouse

The good people at Channel 6 ABC have some great things to say about The Playhouse on Rodney Square:

The Playhouse was built more than 100 years ago by The du Pont Company to provide world-class entertainment for the company's workers, "to provide the kind of cultural experiences that they were used to in other larger cities that they may have relocated from," says Executive Director Mark Fields, "it was part of an ongoing commitment that the du Pont family and the du Pont company have had to Wilmington."

Fields says the theatre's intimate setting is one of its biggest charms. There are just 1200 seats, "you're really in the same room with the performers and you can see the expressions on their face," says Fields, "you can feel the energy coming off the stage as an audience member, and the artist can feel it coming from the audience."

Mamma Mia is at the Playhouse March 4-6. Blue Man Group takes the stage March 18-20. For tickets and show times, go to www.DupontTheatre.com.

You can see the full report by clicking here.

Incredible Broadway entertainment can be found right here in Downtown Wilmington.

Here's a look at two of the upcoming shows:

Marty

The Queen Theater Featured as a success story

Reinvestment Fund is a catalyst for change that integrates data, policy and strategic investments to improve the quality of life in neighborhoods throughout the region. 

The Reinvestment Fund website has just listed Downtown Wilmington's Queen Theater as one of their success stories.

Here's an excerpt:

Wilmington, Delaware is experiencing a period of change mirroring that of numerous cities across the country, where there is renewed interest in spending time downtown after the workday has ended. In Wilmington, revitalization efforts have focused on ten full blocks along Market Street, attempting to breathe new life into the city’s most historic commercial corridor.

The revival of the Queen Theater, in particular, is providing compelling reasons for Wilmington’s large working community to venture out to Market Street.

Click Here to see the full post and enjoy a great video featuring Hal Real, Gable Music Ventures, and Angela Sheik.

I am so proud of the great venues we have in Wilmington for all of our talented performers.

Marty

Black Jobs Matter

Black Jobs Matter is a one-act play that briefly examines the lives of unemployed blacks in the city of Wilmington, from three different perspectives.

The play will be performed on Thursday, February 25 at the Baby Grand on Market Street.

Click Here to RSVP for this FREE performance. 

Here's a description from the website:

#blackjobsmatter…a Wilmington experiment is a movement born out of the desire to employ the over 9000+ unemployed black men in the City of Wilmington. The movement is based on three key areas:

1. The solution to the crime problem is not more cops. It is jobs.

2. The solution to better academic performance of inner city kids is not new schools or different teachers, it is a safe nurturing home so our kids can do their homework and get parental encouragement. Jobs bring the father back into the home and create that atmosphere.

3. The solution to balancing the city's budget is to get people off of welfare and onto the tax-paying rolls. Jobs do that.

 The overall result of these things is to restore respect for parents and for themselves.

I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to join our neighbors and friends in exploring this important issue.

Marty

Wilmington named one of top 5 cities for locating a coding school

It was just a couple of months ago that Wilmington was named a top city for startups, now we're in the top 5 list for locating a coding school.

Course Report is a site dedicated to offering reviews, insights, and analysis of coding bootcamps around the country. In a recent post, the site listed the five cities that should be considered for coding schools.

Here's an excerpt:

People wanting to learn to code in Wilmington can take advantage of coding bootcamp Zip Code Wilmington which opened its doors in September 2015. And national women’s coding organization Girl Develop It has a chapter in Wilmington, offering short courses and information sessions.

Click Here to read the full post.

I am proud of the great work being done here in Downtown Wilmington.

Marty

A look at Downtown Wilmington's rich history

Downtown Wilmington has a truly impressive history - and our friends at WITN, Channel 22, have put together a great feature on that history.

All of us at Downtown Visions were happy to work with WITN to put this together, I encourage everyone to take a few minutes to see the growth of our great community.

Click Here to watch the video

The next time you're walking through Downtown Wilmington, just think of the men, women, and families who have lived, celebrated, marched, mourned, worked, danced, played, and prayed here - and know that we're in the process of creating more history now.

Marty