Grace: How did you develop your thesis? 

Drew: It was a long process. I started formulating my thesis this year which was a continuation of the research project that I did last year. It was all about live performance in movie theaters. Now, my focus shifted towards one theater in particular, which was the Paradise Theater located in Detroit. It definitely holds some significance because I’m from the Metro Detroit area. It’s not a forgotten piece of history, but I don’t think many people know about it. 

I began with a very limited understanding of the city of Detroit and the black movie-going experience there. There were definitely some misconceptions surrounding the paradise theater that I originally thought of, such as it being located in Paradise Valley or a black movie palace, but neither of which turned out to be the case. 

I began pouring over literally hundreds of documents. Fortunately, my school provides online databases for students, so I would use ProQuest- this giant newspaper archive database. I used mainstream newspapers such as Detroit Free Press, Detroit News, and then I would look at African-American newspaper publications because of its connection to the black community in Detroit. By going through that, it eroded some of the original misconceptions I had. I get a better understanding of movie-going and live performance.

I was leaning towards a comparative approach between the Regal Theater and the Paradise Theater, but it went off in separate directions. I took a look at Thomas Sugrue’s book, which detailed the origins of the urban crisis in Detroit so I could get a better understanding of the urban history and the situation that black Detroiters lived through. The level of segregation was appalling, and you can still see the after-effects and the consequences of that today. 

A lot of the in-person archives were closed. I reached out to the members of the Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit and the Detroit Historical Society, but they said the same thing. The situation we’re in right now is very difficult. Nonetheless, I got a lot out of online databases. My thesis reached, as simply as I can put it, that black movie-going was not inferior to white movie-going. In the case of the Paradise Theater, the level of quality entertainment that many black Detroiters were able to view shows that black movie-going was not always inferior. It portrayed black performers and black culture in a positive light, and I think that’s something that should be told. It shouldn’t be generalized or grouped into one entity. 

Grace: How long did you spend researching this?

Drew: I started back in September in an undergraduate research program. This is a continuation of a project that I did last year, except it’s a more focused approach. The goal at the end of the program is to present at a symposium at the end of the year where you present your information on a poster in an event space and there’d be judges and people walking around asking questions. This year it’s virtual, but my mentor, Vincent Longo, encouraged me to reach out to a couple of different conferences or try to get my research published. He presented at Visions two years ago and he’s working towards his doctorate.  

There were many hours spent, but it was all worth building up to getting my research, formulating my research to where it is now, and dispelling all of the misconceptions or limitations. The drafting process was long, but I think if you just keep drafting your paper, that’s how you create the best work that you can. My mindset right now was formulating the best conference paper that I could to submit to Visions. I’m also in the process of formulating a publication paper, then I’m focusing on the symposium for the end of the program.

Grace: How active of a role has your mentor played in guiding your research?

Drew: When we meet, I go through everything I’ve researched and he helps me out by pointing me in the right direction. In return, whenever I find something useful for his research, I point him in that direction. I’ll send him some documents that would help his dissertation. One of his conference papers he’s working on is how neighborhood segregation didn’t necessarily restrict black Americans from attending the theaters that they wanted to, and I think that relates to my paper as well. Our projects fit together, and he’s got a great understanding of the topic as well. He makes sure to challenge me and to not simply accept something as is but to push me to be my best. 

Grace: Can you tell me something about your paper that was unexpected or surprised you?

Drew: What’s fascinating was that the theater had such an immediate impact. To provide some context, theaters back in the day would close for the summer, which was a policy of the Paradise Theater. There were a group of residents from Paradise Valley who circulated petitions and gained thousands of signatures asking for the theater to stay open during the summer. It’s almost like an essential business, you see the immediate impact it has.  It was the prime destination for black entertainment from the start. 

The theater was also super into philanthropy and community engagement. They would host events for the NAACP or send performers from the theater to perform at NAACP events. They would also host amateur nights in which people from Paradise Valley could come in and perform. The theater didn’t just help people in Paradise Valley, but also citywide and nationwide. They held a couple of benefits to support fights against illnesses and held a veteran’s week. It was so engaging, and I can see why. It was definitely an important part of Detroit, even though it only existed for ten years. 

Grace: What are your plans for the future in regards to projects or research?

Drew: I definitely want to continue research on a specific topic, or go into black movie-going in Detroit as a whole and covering other black theaters around Detroit. 

I’m also a history major, and something the department offers is this Thesis Project Program. If I got in, I would be able to continue this research for the next two years and then have to turn in this thesis. I think it’d be a great opportunity because I want to be a professor. I want to be able to find ways to continue doing research because that’s definitely a career path that I’m interested in.  

Grace: What do you hope for people to take away from your paper and thesis?

Drew: I hope [my paper] shows that black entertainment was not inferior to mainstream white entertainment. It was still super popular among blacks and whites in America and positive representation of the community. Paradise Theater was wiped off the map, so not a lot of people know about it anymore. I think there definitely has been a resurgence in thinking about it, so I hope that my presentation would encourage people to do more research about theater.

The building still stands as an orchestra hall and turned one hundred years old in 2019. There’s been an increased focus on the building and its history, so I hope my presentation will bring more light to that as well. 

Grace: What excites you about being a part of Visions this year?

Drew: Well, being able to go virtually. I commend you guys for setting this up in a virtual format. It’s really impressive, and I’m glad to hear that a lot of people are signed up to come. 

I say I’m a film scholar, but I don’t know much about film. I study movie theaters, exhibition, and live performance, but I’m happy that I get to learn more about filmmaking.To be among such accomplished and talented scholars is a humbling experience, and I’m definitely grateful. It’s a privilege, and I’m super glad to be here.  I’m waiting for the day when I can open the Visions in a Box because it’s been sitting here for more than a week now and the anticipation is killing me! 

To learn more about Drew, follow him on instagram: @drewman2023