Cleveland Play House

Cleveland Play House
Name	Cleveland Play House
Type	Nonprofit theatre company
Founded	1915
Founders	Ernest L. Blumenschein; Josephine H. Cranston; Lawrence M. V. Hogan
Location	Cleveland, Ohio
Industry	Performing arts

Cleveland Play House Cleveland Play House is a professional repertory theatre company established in 1915 in Cleveland, Ohio. It has been associated with nationally significant figures and institutions across American theatre history and has produced premieres, revivals, and commissions that intersect with Broadway, Off-Broadway, the American Conservatory Theater, and regional theatres such as Arena Stage, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, and Goodman Theatre. The company’s activities connect to cultural landmarks including Playhouse Square, Cuyahoga County, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, and national arts funders like the National Endowment for the Arts.

History

Founded in 1915 by a group of artists and patrons influenced by the Little Theatre Movement (United States), the company emerged during the same era as the Provincetown Players and the Group Theatre (US). Early seasons included works from authors associated with Eugene O'Neill, Gertrude Stein, George Bernard Shaw, and Anton Chekhov. During the interwar years the theatre navigated relationships with regional institutions such as Cleveland Museum of Art and civic leaders from Maltz Performing Arts Center and benefactors linked to families like the Rockefeller family and the Kulas Foundation. Mid-century collaborations and artist residencies tied the company to personalities prominent in American drama, including members who later worked with Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman, and groups like the Federal Theatre Project. In the late 20th century the organization participated in urban arts initiatives alongside Mayor of Cleveland administrations, redevelopment projects connected to Playhouse Square Association, and educational partnerships with Baldwin Wallace University and Case Western Reserve University departments. The 21st-century era saw expansions that engaged foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Ford Foundation, and national touring circuits including associations with Kennedy Center programming and collaborations with Lincoln Center Theater and New York Theatre Workshop artists.

Productions and Seasons

Season programming has ranged from classical repertoire — works by William Shakespeare, Molière, Henrik Ibsen, Sophocles, and Euripides — to contemporary dramatists such as August Wilson, Edward Albee, Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, and Tracy Letts. Premieres and commissions at the theatre have involved collaborations with playwrights linked to Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners and nominees like Paula Vogel, Beth Henley, David Mamet, Quiara Alegría Hudes, and Sarah Ruhl. The company has mounted musicals and revues featuring material from creators associated with Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kander and Ebb, and George Gershwin, often intersecting with designers and directors who have worked on productions at Broadway theatres and festivals such as the Spoleto Festival USA. Touring presentations and guest directors have included artists who also collaborated with Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre (United Kingdom), Shakespeare Theatre Company (Washington, D.C.), and academic theatre exchanges involving Juilliard School, Yale School of Drama, and HB Studio alumni.

Facilities and Campus

The company’s venues have been sited in Cleveland neighborhoods associated with cultural institutions such as Playhouse Square, proximate to Heinen's Grocery Store (Cleveland), Public Auditorium (Cleveland), and performing arts infrastructure influenced by urban renewal projects from municipal entities and philanthropic partners like the George Gund Foundation. Performance spaces have hosted set and costume collaborations with shops that served productions for Metropolitan Opera tours and regional opera companies including Cleveland Orchestra residencies and co-productions. Technical collaborations have linked the theatre to scenographers and artisans active in institutions such as Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Tisch School of the Arts, Syracuse University theatre programs, and local conservatories. Administrative and rehearsal spaces have shared campus relationships with Cuyahoga Community College arts programs and community arts centers supported by the Wright State University network and local municipal arts offices.

Education and Community Programs

Educational initiatives encompass conservatory-style training, apprenticeships, and school-day matinees developed alongside partners such as Cleveland Metropolitan School District, United Way of Greater Cleveland, and arts education funders including the Cleveland Foundation. Youth programming has connected to organizations like YMCA (United States), Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and summer festivals modeled on curricula from National Theatre Institute and regional conservatories. Community outreach and access efforts have collaborated with health and service institutions including Cleveland Clinic arts in health programs, veteran services coordinated with Department of Veterans Affairs, and diversity initiatives linked to civil rights groups and cultural centers such as Cleveland Cultural Gardens. Residency programs and artist labs have engaged visiting faculty from New Dramatists, Theatre Communications Group, and university theatre departments across the Ohio State University system.

Notable People

Artists, administrators, and alumni associated with the company have included actors and directors who later worked with Broadway theatre, Hollywood productions, and institutions such as National Public Radio and PBS. Notable theatre artists with ties to the company have collaborated with or gone on to work at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Minneapolis Playwrights Center, and national ensembles including SITI Company and Fringe Festival participants. Playwrights, designers, and directors connected to the company have affiliations with award-granting bodies like the Tony Awards, Obie Awards, Drama Desk Awards, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the MacArthur Fellows Program. Administrators have engaged with national arts service organizations including Americans for the Arts, Dramatists Guild of America, and the League of Resident Theatres.

Awards and Recognition

The company has received regional and national recognition, earning awards and nominations from bodies such as the Jeff Award, Helen Hayes Awards, and local arts commissions administered by Cuyahoga County cultural agencies. Institutional funding and accolades have come via grants and honors from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Mellon Foundation, and civic awards presented by the City of Cleveland and philanthropic foundations including the Kelso Foundation and Cleveland Foundation. Its productions and artists have been cited in critical coverage from publications tied to media institutions such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and arts journals connected to American Theatre magazine and Playbill.

Category:Theatre companies in Ohio