Donald V. Calamia entered the world of professional theater in November 1974 and never looked back.
After discovering that life as an actor in the mid '70s was going nowhere fast, Calamia spent the next 25 years in professional theater management – including 14 seasons with Crossroads Productions, Ltd., a nationally recognized, award-winning touring educational theater company he co-founded in 1979.
From 1979 - 1982, Calamia began his career as a professional journalist when he was hired as a freelance entertainment writer and theater critic for the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers.
He also wrote or co-authored a half dozen professionally-produced plays for teens and adults that address topical issues such as alcohol abuse, divorce and HIV/AIDS, which played to tens of thousands of young people all across Michigan.
In 2001 he was hired by Pride Source Media Group to serve as its theater and arts editor, a position he held until his retirement in December 2014. With the publishers of Pride Source Media Group, Calamia created The Wilde Awards, which honor the best work produced by professional theaters and theater artists across the state. He produced and hosted the annual event from its inception in 2002 until his retirement in 2016.
And in 2008, he co-founded and served as editorial director of EncoreMichigan.com, the state's most comprehensive resource for free, up-to-the-minute news and information about Michigan' professional theaters. After retiring from this position in December 2014, he returned to the company three months later to assist in the transition to new owner David Kiley and New Roads Media. With the launch of a new website in late August 2015, Calamia accepted the status of editor-at-large and was a regular contributor to the company until his departure two years later.
As a critic, Calamia had 629 reviews published during his tenures at Pride Source Media Group and EncoreMichigan.com. He also edited 1,090 reviews written by other critics. In addition, he freelanced as an entertainment writer for other media companies such as CBS Detroit and The Metropolitan.
Calamia is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Theatre Critics Association.
