Playhouse Square Center in Cleveland, Ohio Offers Theater and More

Playhouse Square Center is a collection of theaters in Cleveland, Ohio's downtown area. It is the second-largest theater complex in the United States, surpassed only by New York City's Lincoln Center.

The five theaters that make up Playhouse Square Center were constructed after World War I, between the months of February 1921 and November 1922. The builder, Marcus Loew, chose Euclid Avenue between East 14th and 17th Streets for the location of these opulent theaters. The Hanna Theater was located in the Hanna Building, but the other four theaters - Allen, Ohio, State, and Palace - were connected and sat across the street from the Hanna.

In the early days of these Cleveland theaters, they were a venue for vaudeville, traditional plays and musicals, and silent films. During World War II, they became largely movie theaters. However, after the war, an exodus to the suburbs and the advent of television greatly affected theater attendance and by the late 1960s, the Allen, Ohio, State, and Palace had closed. The Hanna remained open until the mid 1980s. Like much of downtown Cleveland, the theaters suffered from neglect and vandalism until interested citizens stepped in to save them in the 1970s. A plan was devised for a large theater complex and the Playhouse Square Association was formed. The theaters were gradually renovated and re-opened one by one, beginning in the early 1980s. Each is now a profitable entity and the Playhouse Square Center complex is considered one of Cleveland's most successful urban renewal projects.

Resident companies at the Playhouse Square Center include Opera Cleveland, DANCE Cleveland, Ohio Ballet, Great Lakes Theater Festival, Tri-C Cultural Arts Series, and Tri-C Jazz Festival. These companies provide a variety of performance opportunities all year long for patrons with various tastes, including classic and well as cutting-edge plays, Broadway-style musicals, dance troupes, concerts by a variety of artists of many genres, comedy presentations, and much more. Top-name performers have starred in concerts and productions at the five theaters of Playhouse Square Center and the complex continues to hone its reputation as an excellent performance venue.

The Playhouse Square Center sponsors a number of special events and programs regularly, including the Discovery Theater Series for Families. The plays presented as part of this series are light-hearted and hold the attention of young theater goers, providing a good introduction for them to the world of theater. There's also a Discovery Theater Series for schools, with performances appropriate for children up to grade 8. Playhouse Square also offers summer Musical Theater Camps for teens age 14 to 19.

Tickets may be purchased for individual events at the Playhouse Square Center and some events are available in a series, such as the Broadway musical productions that are performed there. Group reservations are available at reduced prices for most productions and concerts as well.

Several spaces within Playhouse Square Center are available for rent and can accommodate up to 1,000 people.