The Regions - Cleveland Play House

We continue our series of visits to the web sites of major regional theatres. This week:

The Cleveland Play House

The Cleveland Play House was founded in 1915 and the central building of its facilities was built in 1927. That edifice houses both its 504-seat Drury Theatre and it 138-seat Brooks Theatre. In 1983 they added a Philip Johnson designed addition, which houses two more spaces: the Bolton Theatre (548 seats) and Studio One (124 seats). They lay claim to being the "longest-running" regional theatre in the country. The Play House has been the site of numerous world and American premieres, including works by Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Elmer Rice, William Saroyan, Paul Zindel, Maxwell Anderson, Luigi Pirandello, Bertolt Brecht, and Christopher Fry. The 1994 appointment of Peter Hackett as artistic director led to the creation of the Next Stage Festival of New Plays, a new works series (next scheduled for January, 2000). In addition, the Play House has commissioned a number of new works which it has shepherded from creation through workshop to production.

Their 1999-2000 season began September 21 with The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and continues with Edward Albee's Seascape, James M. Barrie's A Kiss For Cinderella, Strindberg's A Dream Play, August Wilsons's Two Trains Running, and Alan Ayckbourn's A Small Family Business, as well as The Emancipation of Valet du Chambre, an adaptation of Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson, and a new work based on letters to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Touch the Names. These in addition to two new plays as part of the Next Stage series and three show for children.

The Cleveland Play House website is well laid out and straightforward. You'll find little history, but many details about current staff, productions, and future plans. There are links to sections about their children's, eductional, and outreach programs, the obligatory "Getting Involved" area, and more. They are set up to sell tickets online through TicketWeb's secure service. (TicketWeb shows you a layout of the theatre with the seats you're purchasing highlighted!)

Previous regional theatre views:
Actors Theatre of Louisville - Louisville, KY
Alley Theatre - Houston, TX
American Repertory Theatre - Cambridge, MA
Arena Stage - Washington D.C.
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park - Cincinnati, OH
Coconut Grove Playhouse - Miami, FL
Goodman Theatre - Chicago, IL
Goodspeed Opera House - East Haddam, CT
Old Globe Theatre - San Diego, CA
Oregon Shakespeare Festival - Ashland, OR
Perseverance Theatre - Douglas, AK
The Signature Theatre - Arlington, VA

C U @ the Theatre!

Go To Page: 1