Cleveland Play House
A professional regional theater company in Cleveland, Ohio, now based at the Allen Theatre complex in Playhouse Square.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Cleveland Play House (CPH) is a professional regional theater company founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1915. It emerged during a period of major cultural institution-building in the city, when local artists, reformers, philanthropists, and civic leaders were establishing organizations intended to broaden Cleveland's cultural life beyond the vaudeville, melodrama, burlesque, and light entertainment that dominated the commercial stage. Its founders envisioned an art theater influenced by modernist and experimental theatrical ideas. Raymond O'Neil became the organization's first director, and the earliest performances were staged in a house donated by industrialist Francis Drury. After moving through several temporary locations, the company renovated a former church on Cedar Avenue and opened the Cedar Avenue Theatre in December 1917. The 160-seat venue represented an important step toward professionalization, but the organization soon faced financial pressure and internal disagreement. O'Neil resigned in 1921 after conflicts with the board, which then appointed Frederic McConnell as director, supported by K. Elmo Lowe and Max Eisenstat. Their leadership helped shift the Play House toward a more broadly accessible and sustainable regional-theater model, beginning a long period of institutional expansion. The company built a major theater complex in 1927 containing the Brooks Theatre and the Drury Theatre. In 1949 it added the 77th Street Theatre, created from a converted church and notable for an early open-stage configuration that anticipated the thrust stages later adopted by many American theaters. During the 1980s, Cleveland Play House acquired the Sears building and commissioned architect Philip Johnson to design additions, including the Bolton Theatre. The combined complex became one of the largest regional theater facilities in the United States. CPH has been associated with new-play development throughout its history. Productions connected with the company have included premieres or early presentations of works by Tennessee Williams, Bertolt Brecht, Luigi Pirandello, Arthur Miller, Brian Friel, Alan Ayckbourn, Paul Zindel, Ivan Menchell, Eric Coble, and other playwrights. The company has maintained a particular interest in Ohio writers and has generally included at least one new play in each mainstage season. Its New Ground Theatre Festival, formerly known as FusionFest, provides a recurring platform for developing and presenting new theatrical work. The organization also operates education and artist-development programs. Its theater-education work extends from children’s programming through professional training. In 1996, Cleveland Play House established a three-year MFA program for actors in affiliation with Case Western Reserve University. The program combines performance training, voice and movement work, readings, smaller productions, mainstage experience under an Actors' Equity contract, and an agent showcase in New York. Graduates have included actors such as Rich Sommer and Elizabeth A. Davis. A major institutional transition began in 2009 through The Power of Three, a collaboration among Cleveland Play House, Playhouse Square, and Cleveland State University. CPH sold its former building at East 86th Street and Euclid Avenue to Cleveland Clinic in July 2009 and moved its principal performance activity downtown. The company began its 96th consecutive season at the transformed Allen Theatre in September 2011. Additional venues, including the Second Stage—renamed the Outcalt Theatre in 2014—and the Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre, opened in the surrounding complex in January 2012. CPH now performs at Playhouse Square while maintaining production, administrative, and educational facilities elsewhere in Cleveland. The company received the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 2015, its centennial year. Cleveland Play House remains a nonprofit regional theater focused on mainstage productions, new work, education, artist training, and community participation.
History
Cleveland Play House was formed in 1915 by ten Cleveland residents who wanted to establish an art theater in a city whose theatrical life was then dominated by commercial popular entertainment. The founding group included Charles S. and Minerva Brooks, Walter and Julia McCune Flory, Raymond O'Neil, Ernest and Katharine Angell, Henry and Anna Hohnhorst, George Clisbee, Grace Treat, and Marthena Barrie. O'Neil became the first director. Influenced by the theatrical theories of Edward Gordon Craig, the early company favored artistic experimentation and initially served a relatively select audience of culturally engaged Clevelanders. The Play House's creation formed part of Cleveland's broader cultural renaissance in the 1910s. During that period, the city saw the formation or expansion of numerous institutions devoted to music, visual art, natural history, education, and community culture. Cleveland Play House contributed a professional dramatic institution to that network. Its earliest productions took place in a home donated by industrialist Francis Drury at East 85th Street and Euclid Avenue. After using several temporary sites, the organization bought and renovated a church at Cedar Avenue and East 73rd Street. The Cedar Avenue Theatre opened in December 1917 with seating for approximately 160 people. The move into a dedicated venue encouraged professional growth but also exposed the company to financial and managerial pressures. Disputes between O'Neil and the board culminated in his resignation in 1921. The board then hired Frederic McConnell as director, with K. Elmo Lowe and Max Eisenstat as assistants. Their administration broadened the company's appeal and established the operational foundation for decades of growth. A purpose-built Cleveland Play House complex opened in 1927 with the Brooks Theatre and Drury Theatre. As audiences and programming expanded, the organization added the 77th Street Theatre in a converted church in 1949. That venue was distinguished by an early open-stage arrangement, an important predecessor to the thrust-stage designs that became influential in American theater during the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1980s the company acquired the Sears building and engaged architect Philip Johnson to create further additions, including the Bolton Theatre. The resulting combination of buildings was described as the largest regional theater complex in the country. Cleveland Play House developed a substantial record of presenting new plays and playwrights. Works associated with its premiere history include Tennessee Williams's You Touched Me and Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage, along with works by Luigi Pirandello, Arthur Miller, Brian Friel, Alan Ayckbourn, Paul Zindel, Ivan Menchell, and others. The company has also supported Ohio playwrights and has stated a continuing commitment to including new work in its mainstage seasons. Education and professional development became central parts of the institution's identity. The company operates one of the country's oldest community-based theater-education programs and offers learning opportunities ranging from children’s instruction to advanced actor training. In 1996, it created a three-year MFA program in association with Case Western Reserve University. Students receive tuition waivers and living stipends, train across multiple areas of performance, participate in readings and smaller projects, and undertake mainstage work during their third year under an Actors' Equity contract. The program concludes with an agent showcase in New York. Actors associated with the program include Rich Sommer and Elizabeth A. Davis. The company's modern institutional transition began with The Power of Three, a 2009 partnership with Playhouse Square and Cleveland State University. Cleveland Play House sold its former East 86th Street and Euclid Avenue property to Cleveland Clinic in July 2009. It subsequently relocated its principal performance operations to downtown Cleveland. The company opened its 96th consecutive season at the renovated Allen Theatre in September 2011. Two neighboring venues opened in January 2012: the Second Stage, later renamed the Outcalt Theatre, and the Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre. Production facilities were established along Cleveland's lakeshore, while administrative and educational functions moved to East 13th Street. New Ground Theatre Festival, previously called FusionFest, extends the company's new-work mission through workshops, readings, development, and performances by emerging and established writers. Featured artists have included Jordan Harrison, George Brant, Kirsten Greenidge, Eric Coble, and others. In 2015, during its centennial year, Cleveland Play House received the Regional Theatre Tony Award. The company continues to operate as a professional nonprofit regional theater based at Playhouse Square.
- 2015
Regional Theatre Tony Award
[1]Cleveland Play House receives the Regional Theatre Tony Award during its centennial year.
- 2014
Second Stage is renamed the Outcalt Theatre
[1]The company's smaller neighboring venue receives its current Outcalt Theatre name.
- 2012
Additional downtown venues open
[1]The Second Stage and the Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre join the downtown complex.
- 2011
Company relocates to the Allen Theatre
[1]The 96th season opens at the transformed Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square.
- 2009
The Power of Three partnership begins
[1]Cleveland Play House, Playhouse Square, and Cleveland State University collaborate on a new downtown theater complex.
- 1996
MFA acting program is founded
[1]Cleveland Play House establishes a three-year actor-training program affiliated with Case Western Reserve University.
- 1949
77th Street Theatre opens
[1]A converted church becomes the 77th Street Theatre, featuring an early open-stage design.
- 1927
New Cleveland Play House complex opens
[1]The Brooks Theatre and Drury Theatre open as part of a new company complex.
- 1921
Frederic McConnell becomes director
[1]Following O'Neil's resignation, McConnell and his associates lead the company toward a more popular and durable regional-theater model.
- 1917
Cedar Avenue Theatre opens
[1]The company opens a renovated former church on Cedar Avenue and East 73rd Street, creating its first substantial dedicated venue.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit American regional theater combining professionally produced mainstage drama, new-play development, artist training, and broad theater education.
Professional theater · 1915
Mainstage theater productions
Cleveland Play House presents professionally produced dramatic and theatrical works in its seasons at the Allen Theatre and associated Playhouse Square venues. Its programming has included established classics, contemporary plays, musicals or theatrical hybrids where applicable, and a continuing stream of new work. The company has historically used its mainstage to introduce or develop plays by nationally recognized writers as well as authors connected with Ohio.
New-play development
New Ground Theatre Festival
New Ground Theatre Festival, formerly known as FusionFest, is an annual platform for developing and presenting new theatrical works. It combines readings, development activity, and performances, including a centerpiece production. The festival has supported writers such as Jordan Harrison, George Brant, Kirsten Greenidge, and Eric Coble.
Professional actor education · 1996
MFA Acting Program
The three-year MFA program, affiliated with Case Western Reserve University, provides advanced actor training in voice, movement, technique, repertory, and performance practice. Students receive tuition waivers and living stipends, appear in readings and smaller projects, and may perform in a mainstage production during their third year under an Actors' Equity contract. The program ends with an agent showcase in New York.
Arts education
Community theater education
Cleveland Play House provides theater education for children, young people, and community participants. Its educational mission is intended to develop performance skills and theatrical understanding across age groups, extending from pre-kindergarten instruction through advanced professional preparation.
Marketing campaigns
- 2009The Power of Three
Cleveland, Ohio
A civic and institutional collaboration among Cleveland Play House, Playhouse Square, and Cleveland State University to create a new downtown theater complex centered on the Allen Theatre.
Outcome. The collaboration supported Cleveland Play House's move to Playhouse Square and the opening of additional performance and laboratory venues.
- New Ground Theatre Festival
United States
An annual new-work initiative, formerly called FusionFest, showcasing developing plays and emerging or established playwrights.
Outcome. The festival has become a recurring part of the company's new-play development activity.
Brand decisions
2012
Expansion of downtown venue capacityStrategyBackground
The new Playhouse Square arrangement required additional spaces for smaller-scale work and experimentation.
Action taken
The Second Stage and Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre opened adjacent to the Allen Theatre.
Aftermath
The venues expanded the company's capacity for laboratory work, smaller productions, and new-play development.
2009
Decision to relocate downtownStrategyBackground
The company joined Playhouse Square and Cleveland State University in a redevelopment partnership intended to create new downtown performance facilities.
Action taken
Cleveland Play House sold its former East 86th Street and Euclid Avenue property to Cleveland Clinic and shifted its performance base to the Allen Theatre complex.
Aftermath
The company began performing at the transformed Allen Theatre in 2011 and gained access to additional venues in 2012.
1921
Leadership change after internal conflictStrategyBackground
The board became dissatisfied with founding director Raymond O'Neil's leadership, and disputes contributed to his resignation.
Action taken
The board appointed Frederic McConnell as director, with K. Elmo Lowe and Max Eisenstat as assistants.
Aftermath
The new leadership helped transform the company into a more popular and financially durable regional theater.
Recent events
- 2015
Cleveland Play House receives the Regional Theatre Tony Award[1]
Other
The company was presented with the Regional Theatre Tony Award at Radio City Music Hall during its centennial year.
- 2012
Additional Playhouse Square venues open for Cleveland Play House use[1]
Other
The Second Stage and Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre became available in the new downtown complex; the Second Stage was later renamed the Outcalt Theatre.
- 2011
Cleveland Play House begins performances at the Allen Theatre[1]
Other
The company opened its 96th consecutive season in the transformed Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square, marking its move from the former East 86th Street complex.
- 2009
Cleveland Play House joins The Power of Three redevelopment[1]
Other
The company partnered with Playhouse Square and Cleveland State University to create a new downtown theater complex centered on the Allen Theatre.
Sources2 sources
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