Overview

"How five beloved Cleveland theaters escaped the wrecking ball and inspired city-wide urban renewal Shortly after World War I ended, five new theaters were constructed in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, all within a two-block radius. The concentration of these venues, which featured movies, vaudeville, and ""legitimate"" theater, became known collectively as Playhouse Square. For 50 years, the State, Ohio, Hanna, Allen, and Palace theaters enjoyed varying degrees of financial success until television, suburbanization, and urban decline darkened four of their marquees by the end of the 1960s. In the 1970s, with the shuttered theaters facing demolition, groups of like-minded Clevelanders united to fight to save the Square, influencing the city's establishment to create formal plans to renovate the theaters and ensure their financial viability. Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance tells the story of how the rejuvenation of Playhouse Square became one of the main catalysts for Cleveland's larger comeback from postindustrial decline, inspiring and serving as a model for other urban renewal efforts across the city. John Vacha is the first to write a comprehensive, in-depth account of Playhouse Square's history, beginning with the Square's 1921 opening and describing how the COVID-19 pandemic once again left its theaters temporarily empty before their triumphant reopenings in 2022. Richly illustrated and featuring interviews with the central figures involved in saving the Square, Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance is a powerful story that will appeal to theater history buffs and preservationists alike—reminding readers of the significant role the performing arts serve in shaping a city's culture."

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9781606354742

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Reviews

"""This is quite simply the most riveting, and readable, book of Cleveland history you will ever come upon. John Vacha brings alive again the glory days of Playhouse Square in the '20s, when a Who's Who of legends trod the vaudeville and legitimate theater stages here, with memorable stories. Rich with fascinating and vivid details, actual dialogue, and behind-the-scenes drama, this never-before-told story often reads more like a gripping novel—especially the part that waits in the second half of the book, which tells the story of how Playhouse Square's theaters were saved as the door of opportunity was about to close forever."" —Dennis Dooley, cofounder of Northern Ohio Live and award-winning culture critic for Cleveland Public Radio and NPR ""Few write history with the verve, detail, and wit of John Vacha. That becomes perfectly clear in Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance, the first full history of the city's theater district. It is an extraordinary book that places the birth, decline, near death, and revival of Playhouse Square within the wider history of the city. Filled with an incredible cast of characters, ranging from actors to philanthropists, his narrative is a must read—not only for those who love theater but for anyone who wishes to sense the zeitgeist of Cleveland over the past century.""—John J. Grabowski, coauthor of Cleveland's Cultural Gardens: A Landscape of Diversity ""Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Renaissance is an engaging and extraordinarily fine-grained account of one of America's most significant theater districts and its colorful personalities. More than a tale of downtown's heyday, decline, and revival, John Vacha's book presents a compelling argument that Playhouse Square was always 'a work in progress' throughout its first century."" —J. Mark Souther, author of Believing in Cleveland: Managing Decline in ""The Best Location in the Nation"""

Author Information

John Vacha is the recipient of the Herrick Memorial Award from the Early Settlers Association of the Western Reserve, given in recognition of his theatrical history, Showtime in Cleveland: The Rise of a Regional Theater Center. He is the author of several other books including From Broadway to Cleveland: A History of the Hanna Theatre.

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