[1] The DPT was founded in 2015 by Courtney Burkett, Sarah Clare Corporandy, and Sarah Winkler, who are now producing artistic directors of the theatre.
The founders created the theatre company after noticing that the city lacked an institution that was home to professional theatre with both local and national artists.
[2] The DPT began producing in 2015 out of the Max M. Fisher Music Center.
In 2016, it produced Detroit ’67, a play written by playwright and actress Dominique Morisseau.
[2][3] Several years after its founding, the DPT built and moved into its own theatre space at 3960 Third Street in Midtown, which opened on September 21, 2022.