Youngstown Playhouse

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The Youngstown Playhouse, based in the former industrial center of Youngstown, Ohio, is one of the nation's oldest and most respected community theaters.

[edit] Early years

The Playhouse was established in the 1920s. It 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".

[edit] Transformation

During World War II, the Youngstown Playhouse raised its artistic standards considerably. Under the artistic direction of Broadway director Arthur Sitcom, the Playhouse became known as a training ground for professional actors. Local theatrical figures who gained experience at the Youngstown Playhouse have included dramatic actress Elizabeth Hartman and comedic actor Joe Flynn. In 1959, the Playhouse moved to a new two-theater building that serves as its current site.

[edit] Recognition

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