Fred FlorKowski, Cofounder, Scenic Designer, Tech director

our history

Motor City Youth Theatre staff is made up of talented actors or specialists who have theatre and/or teaching degrees in the state of Michigan and love working with children!

All MCYT workshops and productions emphasize team work, respect for differences and a love for theatre.  Students will work on character development, voice, movement, and improvisation skills in a supportive and non-competitive environment, while creating long-lasting friendship.      

Mission + Vision

Co-founder, Fred Florkowski, MCT resident Scenic Designer and Technical Director, is an Associate Professor and head of Scenic Design for Wayne State University's Theatre and Dance Department. He has provided scenic designs and technical direction for over 80 productions in regional theatres including Second City, Detroit. Fred is currently designing the Bonstelle production of Peter Pan. Other credits include Twas' the Night before Christmas, Ragtime, The Comedy of Errors, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Bonstelle) Misalliance, Hamlet, and The Lady's Not for Burning (Hilberry); East Texas Hot Links, Plowshares, and Tales of Wishing and Other Silliness, The Storytellers, and Fools  (Oakland Community College). Fred co-founded MCYT (AKA Redford Youth Theatre/Tinderbox Productions) with Nancy in 1990.  Fred also spent A Month in Moscow at the Moscow Art Theatre School.

Additional mcyt staff

Nancy Florkowski is the artistic director and co-founder (1990) of Motor City Youth Theatre in Livonia and teaches the drama segment of AED 5050: Integrating the Arts into the Elementary Classroom at Wayne State University.

She retired from South Redford Schools in 2004, after thirty two years as a Special Education and Drama teacher and has a BA in Elementary Education (Eastern Michigan University), M.A. and Education Specialist degrees in Special Education (Wayne State University), M.A. in Drama/Theatre for the Young   (Eastern Michigan University), and recently earned a B.A. in Theatre (2013) from Wayne State University.             
    As an exchange student through Eastern Michigan University, Florkowski studied Children’s Theatre at Coventry College of Education in the UK.  She recently participated in the WSU Study Abroad trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as the Month in Moscow program at the Moscow Art Theater (MXAT).                        
Nancy has directed hundreds of productions at Motor City Youth Theatre, Pierce Middle School, Thurston High School, Oakland Community College, and Wayne State University.  She has appeared in local radio and TV commercials and community and dinner theatre since 1977.  While at Wayne State University (2010-2013), Nancy performed at the Bonstelle Theatre, Hilberry Graduate Theatre, Hilberry Studio Theatre, and in the WSU Performance Exchange touring company.

Find out what drives us to do what we do.

Nancy Florkowski, Artistic Director since 1990

​Motor City Youth Theatre was sponsored by South Redford Schools from 1990-1999

where they continuously offered productions and workshops, including a six-week performing arts series for community children as well as touring to schools in Livonia, Redford, and Detroit.  

In 1999 the company moved to Masonic Temple in Detroit where they were sponsored by the Scottish Rite Masons for five years as a part of their family outreach program. During that time they were fortunate to be able to rehearse and perform in the 1,500 seat Scottish Rite Cathedral. 

MCYT moved in to its present location in Livonia in 2005. MCYT members have performed at the Livonia Civic Center Library Auditorium, the Livonia Redford Theatre Guild, Livonia’s Concert in the Park Series, and at Campus Martius in Detroit.  In 2003, during its musical production of The Wizard of Oz, TinderBox Productions was featured on Channel 7's "From the Heart" in which Erik Smith named the group "Detroit's best kept stage secret.”  Since that time, Motor City Youth Theatre has grown considerably and is well known to children and families in over fifteen different Detroit area communities.

 Motor City Youth Theatre is a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization and contributions are tax deductible as provided under IRS regulations.