The Great Lakes Theater Festival hosts a number of main stage productions and is Cleveland’s professional classic theater company. The festival was founded in 1962 and is the second-largest regional theater in Northeast Ohio. The venue hosts large-cast classic plays, including Shakespeare plays and educational programs. Many of the performances are staged in the Hanna Theatre and Playhouse Square. Show attendees can enjoy cocktails and snacks at the bar and lounge at the Hanna Theatre approximately ninety minutes before and after each Great Lakes Theater Festival performance.

Events and Activities at the Great Lakes Theater Festival

Hanna Theatre hosts a number of pre- and post-performance programs to complement the theater experience. Hanna’s Bar and Lounge serves specialty cocktails and savory appetizers before the show, and hosts live entertainment and musical performances from local musicians after the event on certain nights of the week. Sunday’s are Ice Cream Social days, and attendees can participate in a pre-show discussion an hour before the performance on other nights of the week.

About the Great Lakes Theater Festival

The Great Lakes Theater Festival was launched on a shoestring budget of $50,000 and is now a $3 million-a-year operation. It is part of Cleveland’s Playhouse Square complex, hosting five full length productions at the Ohio Theatre from July through December. Show producers and organizers strive to promote high standards of artistic quality and ensure that the theater continues to be a cultural resource and distinctive icon in Cleveland.