Theatre professor, wife perform array of shows

Courtesy of Wild Goose Creative The six founders of the Columbus art company Wild Goose Creative are excited for a year of music, comedy, art and theatre. Founded in 2006, the group is looking to expand from monthly events to a regular schedule of concerts, workshops, sketch comedy and plays.

For students interested in theatre, film, music, crafts, or even culinary arts, the Dekkers are people you should know.

Nicholas Dekker, a professor in the theatre department, and his wife Elizabeth, an OSU graduate, founded Wild Goose Creative, a Columbus arts company. Their studio, at 2491 Summit St., hosts events that encompass a wide range of arts. There's a craft night, a comedy group and 'Third Thursday's," which will be held tonight and features music and discussion with Columbus musician Jeffrey T. Horvath.

The founders of the group met through a mutual love of theatre.

"We had the idea about eight years ago. The six founding members all went to college together, at Calvin College up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and we all worked in the Theatre Company there," Nicholas said. "We parted ways as we all graduated, but we continued communicating and visiting each other, and eventually it all came together in late 2006 in Columbus."

Wild Goose Creative events are free and supported through individual donations. The organization is applying for non-profit status while exploring various local and state grants. Eventually, they plan to offer membership for a small fee so that they can access other performance venues, recording studios and event spaces. But for the Dekkers, the art always comes first.

"It's been very rewarding to see the interest of artists and audiences in Columbus," Nicholas said. "We've found a lot of people who have ideas for projects or just want to connect with different artists. Columbus is a very active arts town. In fact, Columbus officially declared itself the Indie Arts Capital of the World last year, so it's been wonderful to find how many amazing artists are out there creating some good work."

Among the most rewarding aspects for Elizabeth is the experience working alongside her husband and close friends.

"Not everyone is so lucky to work with their close friends, so I'm very thankful for the opportunity," she said. "It definitely took some getting used to, to work so much with our close friends, but it's amazing to see how our close friendship enhances the work we do together. Everyone is passionate about the company and passionate about supporting each other in the work."

Despite the nation's poor economy, the organization has plans to expand.

"We hope to continue expanding the events that we offer," Elizabeth said. "We have almost all of 2009 booked for our regularly monthly events, and we're adding more and more concerts and workshops. Plus we're planning on going back to our theatre roots and doing more plays. We've started a regular sketch comedy series, and this summer we'll be performing some Shakespeare."

Nicholas said the group is looking for a bigger facility.

"Already we feel like we're bursting at the seams in our current space," he said. "We hope to offer more rentable space for artists, like studios, recording space, performance space, and even living space. Eventually we would love a larger space with a performance venue, a coffee shop, an art gallery, living space, and more."

Before any of that, the Dekkers simply encourage anyone interested to attend their "Third Thursday's" program at 8 p.m. today.

"All of our events are open to the public, so anyone is welcome to attend," Nicholas said.