The Club met on November 25 with Craig Hassall, the CEO of Playhouse Square, who conversed from Cleveland.
A native Australian, Craig said that what attracted him to Playhouse Square were the impressive attitudes of the Playhouse Square trustees and the quality of the theaters, an impressive statement from the man who at the time of making the leap to Cleveland was running the Royal Albert Hall in London and who had managed Opera Australia and the English National Ballet.
Craig noted that two of Playhouse Square’s theaters are each larger than any theater on Broadway or in London’s West End.
He also noted that Playhouse Square has the largest season ticket holding cohort in the nation, 44,000, which is twice that of the runner up city, Chicago. “We have about one million ticketed guests per year,” he said. “That brings in about $356 million annually, or about equal to the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Symphony Orchestra and the Rock & Roll Hall Fame combined.” Over the last 40 years, Playhouse Square had brought to Cleveland $4.6 billion, a testament to Cleveland’s exceptional appetite for culture. And another thing that’s good about this is that our cultural institutions, Playhouse Square, the Art Museum, the Orchestra and so forth don’t compete for attention; each has its own participants and donor base; we cooperate very well.”
Craig noted that Playhouse Square is more than theaters. It is host to more than half a dozen resident companies, including Cleveland Ballet and Cleveland International Film Festival. It owns three million square feet in its neighborhood and manages another 2.5 million square feet; it owns the Lumen residential tower, the Bulkley Building, the Crown Plaza Hotel and other nearby properties and now the Art Deco Greyhound Station on Chester Avenue, which it will develop.
Craig explained that Playhouse Square – in conjunction with Akron -- is a vital partner inBroadway traveling shows. Generally, it enjoys longer runs (three and sometimes four weeks) than other cities (two weeks). Broadway producers are eager for the NE Ohio bookings, and NE Ohio serves as an incubator for New York shows. He noted that Ohio has a fund for performance work in the state – returning 30% of many production costs. “Movie production would take all or most of this annual fund, but we’ve managed a $5 million carve out for live theater,” Craig said.
Notable shows that have incubated or vetted in Cleveland are Tina, The Notebook, Hell’s Kitchen, Spamalot, Death Becomes Her, and – in the pipeline – Tommy.
Craig said that Playhouse Square hopes to make the area more of a “district,” akin to the theater district in London, with more restaurants, bars, bolder signage and brighter street lights, to make more street life a reason for patrons to arrive earlier and leave later. Craig noted that 23,000 people now live downtown and that Playhouse Square should be a regular draw for them.
Craig added that Playhouse Square gets along very well with Cleveland State University nearby and works with it to enhance this part of the city. Together they look forward to creating a more amenable walking environment from Playhouse Square-CSU to East 9 th Street. Playhouse Square collaborates with CSU in offering internships and jobs for CSU students, who gain valuable experience thereby. He also said Playhouse Square has a close and beneficial relationship with Karamu House, well known for its drama productions. Together at the Hanna Theater this season they are bringing back last year’s very popular “Motown Christmas.”
Other winter fare at Playhouse Square is A Christmas Story, Christmas Carol, Spamalot, Nutcracker, Magic Cirque Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, then later Flanagan’s Wake, Stereophonic, The Heart of Robin Hood, Macbeth, Great Gatsby and much more.
Playhouse Square also presents tours, educational and health improvement events.
Learn more about Playhouse Square at their website here. If you have individual questions for Craig Hassall, contact his assistant Susan Totedo at susan.totedo@playhousesquare.org.