Attending a live performance is a great way to develop a love of the arts, promote creativity and imagination and learn about different cultures, beliefs, and points of view. From small community theaters to large performance halls that entertain thousands of people each year, there is no shortage of amazing theaters in Northeast Ohio.
Browse the list below to find a location near you, then visit their website to get details about upcoming performance schedules and to purchase your tickets. Enjoy the show!
Theaters in Northeast Ohio
Akron Civic Theatre
This beautiful and historic 1920s entertainment facility in Downtown Akron caters to all types of entertainment, from local and regionally-produced entertainment to national and international touring productions.
Where: 182 S. Main St., Akron, OH 44308
Website
Ashtabula Arts Center
The Ashtabula Arts Center is a nonprofit, multi-arts facility established to preserve and promote the arts through education and entertainment. They feature ballet, theater, and visual arts classes. Classes and performances or exhibits are held in each discipline.
Where: 2928 W. 13th St., Ashtabula, OH 44004
Website
Aurora Community Theatre
ACT presents four shows per year, in fall, winter, spring, and summer. Typically, the spring or summer offering is a more youth-oriented production and offers the opportunity for a truly inter-generational show.
Where: 115 E. Pioneer Trail, Aurora, OH 44202
Website
Beck Center for the Arts
Professional, eclectic theater on two stages with a wide variety of titles to suit all tastes. Beck Center for the Arts offers both professional and youth theater, as well as classes, summer camps, and creative arts therapies.
Where: 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, OH 44107
Website
Canton Palace Theatre
Hosting movies, concerts, comedy shows, dance performances, wedding ceremonies and receptions, private parties, and fundraisers.
Where: 605 Market Ave. N, Canton, OH 44702
Website
Carnation City Players
The Carnation City Players strive to provide entertainment and education in the theatre besides developing the talent of everyone involved in their productions. Their season provides shows for both youth and adults to enjoy.
Where: 450 E. Market St., Alliance, OH 44601
Website
Chagrin Valley Little Theater
Providing plays, musicals, youth theatre education, and special events to Northeast Ohio since 1930. Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is one of the nation’s oldest community theatres, offering year-round entertainment at affordable prices.
Where: 40 River St., Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
Website
Cleveland Public Theatre
Cleveland Public Theatre is known as one of the nation’s leading experimental & political performance venues, sponsoring much dance, music, poetry, and performance art as well as theatre. CPT sponsors several multicultural ensembles and functions as an artistic home for scores of self-producing artists.
Where: 6415 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, OH 44102
Website
Dobama Theatre
Through theatrical production, community engagement, and education programming, Dobama nurtures the development of theatre artists and builds new audiences for the arts while provoking an examination of our contemporary world.
Where: 2340 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Website
The Fine Arts Association
Performances throughout the year include theater productions – musicals, comedy, youth theater, sensory-friendly performances, and more – as well as summer theater camps, workshops, and concerts. Concertgoers can expect a wide variety of musical performances including classical piano, contemporary percussion, jazz and classical improvisation, and more.
Where: 38660 Mentor Ave., Willoughby, OH 44094
Website
Great Lakes Theater
GLT features a resident company of artists bringing the world’s greatest plays to life each season in its revolutionary home at the re-imagined Hanna Theatre, PlayhouseSquare. Don’t miss the annual Backstage Bash, which includes a live show followed by backstage live music and dancing with the artists.
Where:
Hanna Theatre @ Playhouse Square, 2067 E. 14th St., Cleveland, OH 44115
MiMi Ohio Theatre @ Playhouse Square, 1511 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115
Website
Heights Youth Theatre
Heights Youth Theatre is one of the oldest children’s theaters in the country offering kids high-quality theatrical experiences and training, for 65+ years, while also creating well-rounded creative individuals.
Where: Regina Hall on the Notre Dame campus, 1857 S. Green Rd., South Euclid, OH 44121
Website
Independence Community Theater
Independence Community Theater, a theater of the people, by the people, and for the people, puts on three to four shows a year and holds a Summer Youth Theater.
Where: Independence Community Theater, 6652 Brecksville Rd., Independence, OH 44131
Website
Karamu Performing Arts Theater
Recognized as the oldest, producing African-American theatre in the nation, Karamu House is continually cited as one of Cleveland’s top four treasures—and featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Where: Karamu House, 2355 E. 89th St., Cleveland, OH 44106
Website
Kent State Tuscarawas Performing Arts Center
The center has successfully hosted numerous concerts, Broadway tours, family shows, and dance concerts as well as weddings, fundraisers, conferences, banquets, trade shows, and private meetings. It boasts an impressive 50,000-square-foot center, a two-level lobby with seating for more than 350 guests, a multipurpose rehearsal room, dressing rooms, classrooms, and a 1,100-seat theatre. They offer a season of performances and educational outreach opportunities.
Where: Performing Arts Center, 330 University Dr. NE, New Philadelphia, OH 44663
Website
Magical Theatre Company
Magical Theatre Company is Northeast Ohio’s only professional resident and touring Theatre for Young Audiences, dedicated to bringing the finest quality theatre to the young and young at heart. Bring your family to Magical Theatre Company and create memories that will last a lifetime!
Where: 565 W. Tuscarawas Ave., Barberton, OH 44203
Website
Near West Theatre
Near West Theatre has a unique identity as a grassroots, intergenerational theatre with an emphasis on serving the needs of individuals and the community. They strive to create high-quality performances for their audiences as well as to serve youth through free after-school arts enrichment programs, partnerships with local schools, workshops, and tours.
Where: 6702 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, OH 44102
Website
North Canton Playhouse Center for the Performing Arts
North Canton Playhouse offers live, quality entertainment and a variety of productions and programs that allow opportunities and enjoyment for all. Every show is packed full of fun and fantasy! They also weave an educational component – for youth and adults – into every production.
Where: 525 7th St. NE, North Canton, OH 44720
Website
Olde Towne Hall Theatre
Olde Towne Hall Theatre is an award-winning community theatre located in North Ridgeville. They present affordable, high-quality theatrical productions for the entertainment and enjoyment of the community of North Ridgeville and the surrounding area.
Where: 36119 Center Ridge Rd., North Ridgeville, OH 44039
Website
Players Guild Theatre
The Players Guild Theatre is recognized as one of the oldest continually operating volunteer-based theatres in the nation. Today, the theatre is operated by a professional staff and a Board of Directors and presents world-class productions and outreach opportunities for the community.
Where: Kent State Stark Fine Arts, 6000 Frank Ave. NW, Canton, OH 44720
Website
Playhouse Square – Children’s Theater Series
The Children’s Theater Series at Playhouse Square is the perfect way to introduce the amazing world of live theater to the children in your life.
Where: 1501 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115
Website
Porthouse Theatre
Since its founding in 1968, Porthouse Theatre has entertained scores of Northeast Ohio audiences and provided training opportunities for countless developing theatre artists. Every summer, more than 20,000 guests enjoy the Porthouse experience, picnicking with friends and family before enjoying a professional production in this comfortable 500-seat covered outdoor theatre.
Where: 3143 O’Neil Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223
Website
Rabbit Run Community Arts Association
Whether you want to learn to play a musical instrument, create a mosaic, dance at the barre, or take in a performance at the barn, Rabbit Run Community Arts Association and Rabbit Run Theater have cultural experiences and fine arts opportunities in dance, music, and visual arts for everyone regardless of age.
Where: Rabbit Run Theater, 5648 Chapel Rd., Madison, OH 44057
Website
Renaissance Theatre
The Renaissance Theatre of Mansfield is a live events venue for live theatre, music, comedy, and more, offering live and engaging arts and entertainment in North Central Ohio!
Where: 138 Park Ave. W, Mansfield, OH 44902
Website
Salem Community Theatre
The Salem Community Theatre enjoys a long and distinguished history, providing live performances throughout the year. Auditions are open for upcoming performances.
Where: 490 E. State St., Salem, OH 44460
Website
Talespinner Children’s Theatre
Founded in 2011, Talespinner Children’s Theatre is a professional children’s theater in Northeast Ohio dedicated to developing and producing highly imaginative, original, and interactive works from local artists designed to empower, encourage and educate children.
Where: 1305 W. 80th St., Ste. 214, Cleveland, OH 44102
Website
The Cassidy Theater
The Cassidy Theatre was founded in 1974 with the mission to enrich the multicultural life of the Greater Cleveland area by providing a diverse theatre arts program that entertains, informs, and educates. From classic dramas and slapstick comedies to modern Broadway musicals and whimsical family fare, The Cassidy Theatre offers exceptional entertainment and artistic opportunities to the diverse and multigenerational audiences in the area.
Where: 6200 Pearl Rd., Parma Heights, OH 44130
Website
The Kent Stage
The Kent Stage was constructed in 1927 as a silent movie and vaudevillian theater and is the sole surviving downtown theater in the county. The venue hosts approximately 150 concerts a year as well as the Kent Folk Festival, the Kent Blues Fest, Kent Reggae Fest, the Kent State Around Town Music Festival, film festivals, and numerous plays.
Where: 175 E. Main St., Kent, OH 44240
Website
The Youngstown Playhouse
Since its inception in 1924, The Youngstown Playhouse has sustained a legacy of quality live performance theatre in Northeast Ohio by staging innovative, unique, and accessible theatrical performances of both classic and modern productions.
Where: 600 Playhouse Ln., Youngstown, OH 44511
Website
Trumbull New Theatre
TNT strives to develop and maintain an amateur theatre in which people are given the opportunity to develop an interest in all phases of the performing arts. This community theater is open to everyone.
Where: 5883 Youngstown-Warren Rd., Niles, OH 44446
Website
Weathervane Playhouse
Weathervane’s mission is to enrich the quality of life and engage the community through theatre and education. They offer exceptional educational programming for both children and adults that provides essential life skills through stage skills. They present a variety of shows for all ages to enjoy.
Where: 1301 Weathervane Ln., Akron, OH 44313
Website
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