| Location | 175 East Main Street Kent, Ohio, USA |
|---|---|
| Type | performance hall |
| Built | 1927 |
| Opened | 1927 as Flannigan and Steele Theater 2002 as Kent Stage |
| Capacity | 642 (since 2002)[1] |
| Website | http://www.kentstage.org/ |
The Kent Stage is a 642-seat theater that was built in 1927 in Kent, Ohio, USA. Since 2002, it has been used as a performance venue for live music, theater, and film.
In 1927, it opened as the Flannigan and Steele Theater, a movie theater, and has been a place for entertainment in Kent for 83 years.[2] The Western Reserve Folk Arts Association, a non-profit organization, opened the Kent Stage in 2002, primarily holding various musical performances by nationally known performers at the venue.[2]
Many well-known artists have performed at the Kent Stage[2], including such names as Bo Diddley, Joan Baez, Stephen Stills, Kris Kristofferson[3], Ani DiFranco, Tom Paxton, Richie Havens, Janis Ian, Peter Rowan and Tony Rice[4], Melanie, Loudon Wainwright III, The Kingston Trio, Leo Kottke, John Gorka, Leon Redbone, Al Stewart, Pete Best, Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys, Sam Bush, John Cowan, Vassar Clements, Rosanne Cash[5], The Wailers, Little Feat, Nickel Creek, India Aire, Machine Gun Kelly, and many others. The venue has also hosted the Children's Musical Theater of Kent, the Kent Blues Festival, Up From The River Music Festival, and since 2002 the Kent State Folk Festival.[2][6]