Oskar Eustis, Dr. Shirley Brice Health and Rick Sperling at a forum on how classical theatre can foster community cohesion.

A windstorm. A canceled flight. A play rehearsal.

Fate surely stepped in and delivered an amazing – indeed, a Shakespearean – opportunity for the Mosaic Youth Theatre in Detroit.

That chain of events led to the theater company’s collaboration with the legendary Public Theater of New York and the upcoming musical adaptation of “The Tempest,” the Bard’s tragicomedy involving a duke, his daughter, a sprite and other assorted characters on an enchanted island.

The journey began last December. Shirley Brice Heath, Ph.D., a Stanford University professor who focuses on the impact of the arts on youth development and who acts as what she calls a “critical friend” to the Public, had visited the Mosaic at the invitation of its artistic director and founder Rick Sperling. When her flight to the West Coast was canceled because of high winds she hunkered down to watch a marathon seven-hour rehearsal of Mosaic’s annual holiday spectacle, “Woodward Wonderland,” a musical history of the Motor City.

Heath had been working with the Public on finding a partner to stage its raucous, musical version of “The Tempest,” which debuted to giddy reviews in 2013 with a cast of 200. The “Wonderland” rehearsal clinched the decision for her. Sperling had found a way to engage young people in a creative collaboration that would do justice to the work, she recounted at a forum held last Friday at the historic high school where Mosaic has its studio and offices. She was joined by the Public’s fiery artistic director, Oskar Eustis, who spoke passionately about upending dramatic conventions and how theater contributes to the well-being of democracy by making students better citizens.

The pair’s visit to Detroit was made possible by funding from Knight Foundation and Kresge Foundation.

The Mosaic will stage “The Tempest” May 7-17 at the Detroit Institute of Arts, another Knight-supported institution. Fifty teens from 11 to 18 years old will share the stage with a Hindu dance troupe, aerialists, an African drummer, a step team, members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles and others.

“What makes this so profound for us is that the Public Theater didn’t choose us to be the first youth theater to do this production; they chose us to be the first theater,” Sperling said. “They are recognizing that as an artistic entity we’re uniquely suited to bring this project to life. I can’t think of a theater we’d rather partner with.”

Heath and Eustis watched a run-through of “The Tempest” Thursday with other guests, and on Friday, spoke to a small but enthusiastic group about how art – classical theater in particular – can foster community cohesion and lead to excellence both on stage and off.

Heath noted that Mosaic is the only youth organization where kids can stay for years and where they can take personal risks.

“It’s about hard work and high expectations,” Heath said. “Those are the same skills kids need to go to medical school. It’s about learning to be part of a collaborative.”

Mosaic was founded 22 years ago to offer teens in the Detroit area an opportunity to sharpen their performance skills. Today, the company draws kids from 51 schools throughout the metro area.

The Public Theater, founded by Joe Papp in 1954, is best known for its Shakespeare in the Park productions and for pushing the boundaries of conventional theater. PUBLIC WORKS, a program of the Public, has an even more ambitious agenda – breaking down barriers between audience and actors and between amateurs and professionals. Its version of “The Tempest” included taxi drivers, nannies, and senior citizens.

“For them, it was key to have representatives from all five boroughs. For us, it’s the city, suburbs – the whole region – being represented,” said Sperling. “This is the PUBLIC WORKS’ version of ‘The Tempest,’ but it’s also the concept of using classical theater to bring a community together. At Mosaic, we do that all the time,” Sperling said. 

Eustis declared that he was blown away by the teens – not just because they are really talented, but that they clearly understand Shakespeare’s intentions and meaning.

That’s tough for any acting company.

“It’s rare that everybody in the room knew the reason for telling the story. For me, that is the transformative experience of the theater,’’ he said.

Eustis said it’s possible the relationship with Mosaic will continue, that perhaps the Public will one day host the company in New York.

 “Who knows? This is all a grand experiment for us,” he said.

Julie Edgar is a Detroit-based freelance writer. Email her at [email protected].

The Mosaic Youth Theatre production of “The Tempest” runs May 7-17 at the Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of the Arts. Visit Mosaic’s website for tickets and to learn more.