The Youngstown Playhouse, based in the former industrial center of Youngstown

Youngstown, Ohio

Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, is one of the nation's oldest and most respected community theaters.

Early years

The Youngstown Playhouse traces its origins to February 16, 1927, when several local drama organizations formed a single organization called the Youngstown Players. With the support of local civic leaders, the group eventually secured its own building. The Youngstown Playhouse was initially housed in a renovated 19th-century barn. In 1940, supporters of the Playhouse raised $30,000 to build a new facility. Instead, the money was used to renovate a vacant movie house for live theater. Two years later, the Playhouse christened its new location with a production of "Camille of Roaring Camp".

Transformation

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, the Youngstown Playhouse raised its artistic standards considerably. Under the artistic direction of Broadway

Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 director Arthur Sircom, the Playhouse became known as a training ground for professional actors. Local theatrical figures who gained experience at the Youngstown Playhouse included the late dramatic screen actress Elizabeth Hartman

Elizabeth Hartman

Mary Elizabeth Hartman was an American actress, best known for her performance in the 1965 film A Patch of Blue, playing a blind girl named Selina D'Arcy, opposite Sidney Poitier, a role for which she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star Of The Year - Actress and was nominated for the Academy...

. In 1959, the Playhouse moved to a new two-theater building on Glenwood Avenue.

Recognition

Believed by some observers to be the oldest continuously operating community theater in the country, the Youngstown Playhouse was the only community theater in Ohio to receive major institutional support from the Ohio Arts Council

Ohio Arts Council

The Ohio Arts Council is an agency serving the U.S. state of Ohio.Established in 1965, its mission is to "foster and encourage the development of the arts and assist the preservation of Ohio's cultural heritage." Each year it awards grants to arts organizations and individuals throughout the state...

.
In October 2008, after financial problems caused by mismanagement, the Playhouse closed its doors temporarily. The playhouse removed the management, and changed the structure of the organization to board governed / volunteer run. The playhouse continues to produce shows to date..