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July 23, 24, 29, 30, 31,

August 6, 7 & 8

Thurs., Fri. & Sat. @ 7:30 pm

Sun. @ 3:00 pm

Tickets: $8 Adults
$6 Children (12 & under)

Performance Location:

St. Patrick’s Club Building
3606 Bridge Ave.- 3rd Fl.
Cleveland, Ohio

Puchase Tickets

Performed entirely by students
Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Musical arrangements Steve Skinner
Original concept/additional lyrics Billy Aronson
Music supervision and additional arrangements Tim Weil
Dramaturg Lynn Thomson
RENT was originally produced in New York by New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theatre Workshop

July 23 – August 8, 2010

“There’s only us, there’s only this.
Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.
No other road, no other way. No day, but today.” – Mimi

Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway musical based loosely on Puccini’s opera La Bohème. In its examination of the lifestyles of the young men and women who inhabit the slums of the Village, the play becomes a celebration of life and the heroic struggle to survive.

The day Jonathan Larson (creator of Rent) died….
“The audience was reaching out to the cast. They were crying and cheering. By the second act, it was no longer contained. It was the full show run full-out. If emotion could have become a physical force, the roof would have blown off, the weather would have changed. The second act ended. There was a huge ovation, the cast slowly left the stage, and the audience stayed in the theater. No one was sure what to do. The cast returned and sat down in the front row. Finally, a single voice called from the audience, ‘Thank you, Jonathan Larson,’ which brought the evening’s loudest, final burst of applause.”

To purchase tickets, call: 216-961-6391

» Read the rest of this entry «

Event Video.

Photos from the Business Leaders Breakfast event at the Capitol Theatre.

[View with PicLens]

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Related articles and press in the News!

WKYC Article: Cleveland: Governor praises Gordon Square Arts District economic investment

CLEVELAND — Governor Ted Strickland touted the Gordon Square Arts District when he addressed about 200 business and civic leaders gathered for a leadership breakfast Friday morning at the recently renovated Capitol Theatre.

Strickland said the District is a great example of how to create jobs and investment in a city neighborhood.

“You are creating long-term economic growth, and new jobs,”  said Strickland. “In the short term, you are creating construction jobs. In fact, dollar for dollar, an investment in a building rehabilitation project creates more jobs than an investment even in a highway construction project.”

Team NEO, an economic clearinghouse for the 16 counties in Ohio’s northeast corner, has tracked the economic impact of the arts district as a dramatic $317 million in Cleveland alone through 2013.

In comparison, the five major projects of the arts district — three theatres, a stylish streetscape and added parking — represent a total investment of just $30 million.

The state of Ohio has invested $1.9 million in capital funds and provided leveraging for $4.4 million in federal tax credits.

Other funds have come from a variety of sources, including the city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, foundations and private contributions.

“Our urban agenda in Ohio is clear,” said Strickland. “We must build upon the great resources already existing within our cities, we must revitalize forgotten treasures and we must celebrate the cultural and economic vitality that pulses through our cities.”

“The Gordon Square Arts District serves as an example for cities across the nation of how to uncover a neighborhood’s assets, invest in them and watch it take off and deliver more than a tenfold return,” said Christopher M. Connor, chairman and CEO of Sherwin-Williams.

“The non-profits and civic leadership behind its revival have cleverly leveraged the arts into a newly revived, productive community.”

Connor is also chair of Team NEO.

The Gordon Square Arts District, a collaborative work of three nonprofits — the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, Cleveland Public Theatre and the Near West Theatre — is seen as a national model of how the arts can stimulate economic development.

The Team NEO study did not measure additional real estate and development activity, which is estimated by the Gordon Square Arts District and Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization at an additional $400 million or more.

Most of the restaurants, shops, galleries and other businesses are flourishing, with 33 new ones opening since 2006.

Housing ranging from live-work spaces for artists to spacious condominiums for successful entrepreneurs is in demand.

Additional components include streetscape improvements on Detroit Avenue between West 58th and West 73rd streets and new parking to accommodate residents and visitors.

The theatres provide unique entertainment to attract audiences from throughout the region.

For more information about Gordon Square, please contact 216-961-4242 or visit online www.gordonsquare.org

© 2010 WKYC-TV

[WKYC Article] [PDF]

WTAM 1100 Article: Leaders tout Gordon Square

(Cleveland) – Local leaders met at the renovated Capital Theatre at West 65th and Detroit to talk about the success of the Gordon Square Arts District.

The $30 million revitalization program is expected to pump $317 million into the economy of the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood by 2017. Backers say the Gordon Square project has created 950 permanent jobs, plus 310 construction jobs.

Gordon Square Co-Chairman Dick Pogue says fundraising continues. Governor Strickland says the project is an amazing success. Chris Conner of Sherwin-Williams and team NEO agrees.

Plans are now underway to link Gordon Square to Lake Erie allowing residents to walk from the arts district to the shoreline.

[WTAM 1100 Online Article]

Embrace the Rebirth of Spring with Near West Theatre There’s something so tempting about secrets. In their upcoming production of The Secret Garden, a Broadway musical based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s children’s novel, Near West Theatre gives each audience member a chance to feel the breathless anticipation that comes with learning a secret. They have converted their theatre in St. Patrick’s Club building into the most enchanting of gardens, with the audience surrounding the performance, being immersed in the garden. The lights, interactive video and extremely talented local actors make this production a must-see.

CoolCleveland correspondent Julie Cajigas had a chance to speak with director Robert Navis Jr., and actor Kevin Joseph Kelly on the set of The Secret Garden. And, when you watch the video, you’ll have a chance to see young actors Sydney Fieseler and Patrick Kennedy steal the stage and veteran Cleveland actors Kevin Joseph Kelly and Patrick Ciamacco make theatre magic with a short preview of the show.

Interested in seeing the show? Get your tickets for The Secret Garden today. The production continues Thurs-Sun, 5/13 – 5/16 and Fri.- Sun. 5/21-5/23 at St. Patrick’s Club building, located at W 38th and Bridge Ave. in Ohio City. Show times are 7:30PM, Thurs.-Sat. and 3PM on Sun. Tickets are available by calling (216) 961-6391, or at http://www.nearwesttheatre.org.

Julie Cajigas is a Cleveland girl who grew up on the East & West Side and now lives near Akron – she’s got the whole town covered! Cajigas holds degrees in Communication & Music from Cleveland State University and is currently pursuing her Masters in Communication at CSU.

She is a professional freelance writer who occasionally writes in her blog in between gigs at http://www.inspiredfreelancer.com. Cajigas is also an avid musician and can be seen performing with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and as a violinist in the Allison Bencar band, http://www.myspace.com/allisonbencar. [Original Article]

By Chuck Yarborough, The Plain Dealer

John Kuntz, The Plain DealerRob Gibb, foreground, who plays Herbie, the agent and love interest for Madame Rose in “Gypsy,” belts out one of his numbers in rehearsal for the Brecksville Theatre on the Square production.

• What’s up next in NEO community theater » Read the rest of this entry «

Near West Theatre Puts Community, sense of belonging at center of its art

The Plain Dealer
Thursday, May 17 2007
*Click article to enlarge and read