Indulge in your love of theater this season with a variety of plays, musicals and performances that will engage your inner thespian. Whether you watch, volunteer or become a sponsoring patron, you will find a variety of programs to select from. A mystery, a musical or amusing entertainment — we have it all, from large to small venues. Here are a few theater venues to consider for the months ahead.
Order your tickets early. The 2018-2019 live theater season promises to be spectacular.
Beck Center
The Beck Center begins its 85th year of creating art experiences featuring a signature blend of eclectic titles, including one of theater’s most memorable couples, a family musical and the eighth collaboration with Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre program. Get ready for a theatrical journey.
17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-521-2540, ext. 10, beckcenter.org
An Act of God
Sept. 14-Oct. 7
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Oct. 5-Nov. 4
Cinder-Ella (Youth Theater)
Oct. 26-28
Shrek the Musical
Dec. 7-Jan. 6
Law & Order: Nursery Rhyme Unit (Youth Theater)
Dec. 14-23
Once
Feb. 8-24
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
March 15-April 14
13 (Youth Theater)
April 5-14
King Lear
May 31-June 30
Matilda
July 12-Aug. 11
Brecksville Theatre
The Brecksville Theatre is a product of the merge between the two longstanding theatre groups in Brecksville: Brecksville Theater on the Square and Brecksville Little Theatre. The new group honors the history of both organizations with a straightforward mission: “to engage the community through the performing arts.”
49 Public Square, Brecksville, 440-736-7749, thebrecksvilletheatre.org
Sweeney Todd
Sept. 28-Oct. 14
Elf, Jr. (children’s musical)
Nov. 2-18
Chagrin Valley Little Theatre
Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, one of the nation’s oldest community theatres, begins its 89th season of providing plays, musicals, youth theatre education and special events since 1930. A true community theater, it is recognized throughout the region as a venue for high-quality productions that showcase the talents of area actors and delight thousands of theater lovers each season.
40 River St., Chagrin Falls, 440-247-8955, cvlt.org
The Mystery of Irma Vep
Sept. 21-Oct. 13
The Velocity of Autumn
Oct. 12-27
Disney’s The Little Mermaid
Nov. 16-Dec. 16
Parallel Lives
Nov. 23-Dec. 8
Goodbye Charlie
Jan. 18-Feb. 2
Dead Certain
March 8-23
Middletown
April 26-May 11
The Ladies Foursome
May 31-June 16
Young Frankenstein
July 19-Aug. 10
Dobama Theatre
Founded in 1959, Dobama Theatre’s mission is to premiere the best contemporary plays by established and emerging playwrights in professional productions of the highest quality.
2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-932-3396, dobama.org
Sunset Baby
Sept. 7-30
John
Oct. 19-Nov. 11
Ella Enchanted
Nov. 30-Dec. 30
Revolt. She said. Revolt Again.
Jan. 25-Feb. 17
The Nether
March 8-31
This
April 26-May 26
The Fine Arts Association
For more than 50 years, The Fine Arts Association in Willoughby has been a gathering place for individuals to learn, create, enjoy and appreciate the arts. If you love theater and music, you will enjoy this upcoming season.
38660 Mentor Ave., Willoughby, 440-951-7500, fineartsassociation.org
Xanadu
Sept. 21-Oct. 7
Annie
Nov. 23-Dec. 16
Honk! (Youth Theatre)
Feb. 15-March 3
Ten Below
One Act Festival
April 5-14
The Secret Garden
June 7-23
French Creek Theatre
Gardening will never be the same when the French Creek Theatre kicks off the season with a musical comedy about a talking plant. Part of the Lorain County Metro Parks Nature & Arts Center, French Creek Theatre has played host to an exceedingly diverse body of performances, encouraging patrons to expand the scope of their own theatrical tastes. The facility is handicap accessible and equipped with assistive listening devices.
4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield Village, 440-949-5200, MetroParks.cc/theatre
Little Shop of Horrors
Oct. 12-28
The Gifts of the Magi
Nov. 30-Dec. 16
She Loves Me
Feb.1-17
Little Women
March 29-April 14
Into the Woods
May 31-June 16
Tuck Everlasting
July 19-Aug. 4
As You Like It
Aug. 16-18
Hudson Community Theatre
The Hudson Players are an all-volunteer, nonprofit community theater organization and one of the longest-running theater troupes in the area. Volunteers are always welcome to assist with a variety of tasks including publicity, poster distribution, set building, costumes and more.
41 S. Oviatt St., Hudson, 330-655-8522, hudsonplayers.com
Arsenic & Old Lace
November 2018
Hands On A Hardbody
February 2019
Pirates of Penzance
April-May 2019
Judson Manor
Open to the Greater Cleveland community, Theatre in the Circle is the only professional theater company in the country helmed by residents of a retirement community. Plays are performed by local theater artists as well as Equity actors in Judson Manor’s ballroom. Judson’s venue offers fully barrier-free access as well as hearing loop technology that brings audio directly into patron hearing aids and cochlear implant telecoils.
1890 E. 107 St., Cleveland, 216-791-2555, judsonsmartliving.org
Pump Boys and Dinettes
Sept. 20-23
The Gift of the Magi
Dec. 6-9
Liberace!
Feb. 14-17
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown
May 9-12
Musical Theater Project
Founded by Bill Rudman in 2000, The Musical Theater Project is a nonprofit arts education organization that fosters a deep appreciation of the American musical — and the social and cultural history surrounding it — by creating programs that educate as well as entertain people of all ages. Productions are held throughout Northeast Ohio.
Silver Linings: The Songs of Jerome Kern
Oct 19 (First Baptist Church of Cleveland)
Oct. 21 (Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music)
Just for Laughs
Nov. 14 (Solon Center for the Arts)
Nov. 18 (Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square)
A Christmas Cabaret
Dec. 14 (Stocker Arts Center)
Dec. 16 & 17 (Nighttown)
Cole Porter On Broadway
Jan. 19 (Hanna Theatre, Playhouse Square)
Jan. 20 (Temple Tifereth Israel)
The Impact of Shuffle Along
In TMTP’s First Partnership with Karamu House
Feb. 7-9 & Feb. 10 (Karamu House)
It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman In Concert
April 14 (Kent State University)
April 15 (The Breen Center for the Performing Arts)
Playhouse Square
Playhouse Square welcomes more than one million guests every year for touring Broadway shows, concerts, comedy, opera, dance and children’s programming. Its KeyBank Broadway Series season ticket holder base (more than 32,000) is the largest in the country, making Cleveland one of fewer than 10 markets that can support a three-week run of a touring Broadway show. This season’s Broadway performances will certainly ignite your passion for the theatre.
1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, 216-771-4444, playhousesquare.org
Hello, Dolly!
Sept. 30-Oct. 21
Les Miserables
Oct. 30-Nov. 18
Miss Saigon
Jan. 29-Feb. 17
School of Rock
March 5-24
A Bronx Tale
April 23-May 12
Dear Evan Hansen
June 11-30
Come From Away
July 9-28
Weathervane Playhouse
In a span of 70-plus years, Weathervane has constructed, torn down, recycled, painted and refitted stage settings for more than 500 productions, including Stage II and Youth Theater productions. This kind of effort is the result of volunteer dedication based on the founders’ original philosophy that “all who can contribute are welcome.”
1301 Weathervane Lane, Akron, 330-836-2626, weathervaneplayhouse.com
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Sept. 6-23
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Oct. 11-28
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Nov. 30-Dec. 22
Almost, Maine
Jan. 17-Feb. 3
Dreamgirls
Feb. 21-March 17
The Diary of Anne Frank
April 4-20
Noises Off
May 9-26
Mamma Mia!
June 13-July 7
Youth Theater
Ghosts, Goblins and Gobblygook
This fun-filled, entertaining Halloween program presented at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is appropriate for young children and includes Halloween songs, stories, a puppet show, the Greedy Pumpkin and two short plays. The children in the audience dress in Halloween costumes and are invited to step onstage after the play for a costume parade, a small gift from the pocket lady and to meet with some of the other festive characters.
Julia Kolibab has been running a very successful program for students in grades 1-12 for 22 years.
“I have discovered that every student benefits from participating in a youth theatre program in a way that is unique for them,” Kolibab says. “Their confidence soars, they feel the support of their peers as they all work together to perform a play, and they enhance their imaginations and creative abilities while they work on their roles and characters. They experience being a part of something important and exciting.”
2 p.m. Oct. 27 and 28. For ticket information, call 440-247-8955 or visit cvlt.org.
Margaret Briller is a freelance writer in Northeast Ohio who enjoys attending live theater productions in different c
