Allen Theatre

Allen Theatre is a historic performance venue on Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and one of the theaters that make up Playhouse Square. It opened on April 1, 1921, as a purpose-built silent-movie theater designed by architect C. Howard Crane. The original auditorium could accommodate more than 3,000 people, reflecting the scale and ambition of early twentieth-century movie palaces. Its opening presentation was the film Her Greatest Love, associated with Theda Bara, accompanied by live performers including Phil Spitalny and his 35-piece orchestra. The building was designed in an Italian Renaissance style and was notable for its theatrical interior. It was among the relatively uncommon “daylight atmospheric” theaters, with a ceiling painted to suggest an open daytime sky. Its lobby included a rotunda modeled after the Villa Madama in Rome, while Renaissance-style figures decorated the rotunda ceiling. These architectural features helped make the Allen more than a screening room: it was conceived as an immersive entertainment environment in which the building itself formed part of the audience experience. Like many downtown movie theaters, the Allen faced increasing pressure during the postwar period. The spread of television reduced cinema attendance, while the movement of residents from central Cleveland to suburban communities weakened the downtown entertainment district. Financial difficulties affected the Allen and neighboring theaters by the middle of the 1960s, and the Allen closed on May 7, 1968. It later hosted a Laserium attraction during the late 1970s, but its long-term future remained uncertain. The Playhouse Square Association, established in 1970 to help preserve and revive Cleveland’s theater district, agreed to purchase the Allen in 1993. After restoration, the theater reopened on October 3, 1998, with approximately 2,500 seats. Its renewed role was primarily as a venue for touring Broadway musicals, concerts, and other large-scale presentations. That operating model changed after the Cleveland Ballet left the city for San Jose in 2000. The resulting changes in Playhouse Square programming increased the availability of larger venues for Broadway productions, while bookings at the Allen declined. Playhouse Square subsequently sought a use that would connect the Allen more closely with local educational and producing institutions. Cleveland Play House and Cleveland State University became partners in a redevelopment initiative known as “The Power of Three,” together with Playhouse Square. The $32 million project transformed the Allen Theatre into the Allen Theatre Complex. The main theater closed in 2010 and reopened on September 16, 2011, with seating reduced from about 2,500 to just under 500. The smaller configuration created a more intimate environment for dramatic theater and other performances. Golden acoustic panels were added to the auditorium walls; they could be removed to expose the historic decorative artwork beneath them. The redevelopment also created two additional spaces: the Outcalt Theatre, initially known as Second Stage, a flexible venue with several possible seating configurations and capacity of roughly 300; and the Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre, a black-box space seating about 100. The Lab Theatre supports the Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program as well as other events. The modern Allen Theatre Complex therefore combines historic preservation, professional theater, higher education, and flexible contemporary performance facilities.

The Allen Theatre was created during the expansion of the American movie-palace industry in the early twentieth century. Architect C. Howard Crane designed it in an Italian Renaissance style, with an auditorium intended to provide a spectacular setting for silent films and live accompaniment. It opened in downtown Cleveland on April 1, 1921, with more than 3,000 seats. The inaugural program featured the motion picture Her Greatest Love, associated with Theda Bara, and live music by Phil Spitalny and a 35-piece orchestra. The theater’s interior was a major part of its original identity. It was one of the few theaters described as a daylight atmospheric theater, using a ceiling painted to resemble an open daytime sky. The lobby contained a rotunda inspired by the Villa Madama in Rome, and its ceiling featured Renaissance-style figures. Such features reflected the period’s belief that cinemas should offer an elaborate escape as well as a place to watch films. During the middle decades of the twentieth century, the Allen’s business model was undermined by structural changes in entertainment and urban life. Television offered an increasingly attractive alternative to cinema, while Cleveland’s population and retail activity spread into suburban areas. These pressures affected the Allen and other theaters in the downtown district. The Allen closed on May 7, 1968. It was later used for a Laserium attraction in the late 1970s, but it did not immediately return to sustained mainstream theater operation. The Playhouse Square Association, formed in 1970 to support the survival of Cleveland’s historic theater district, agreed to purchase the Allen in 1993. A restoration campaign returned the building to active use, and the theater reopened on October 3, 1998. At that stage it held about 2,500 seats and was positioned as a large venue for touring Broadway musicals, concerts, and similar events. The venue’s role changed after the Cleveland Ballet departed Cleveland for San Jose in 2000. With the ballet no longer occupying the State Theatre, that larger venue could accommodate more Broadway productions, and the Allen experienced weaker bookings. Playhouse Square began considering a different operating concept that would produce more consistent use and strengthen links with Cleveland’s cultural and educational institutions. The eventual solution was a partnership called “The Power of Three,” involving Playhouse Square, Cleveland Play House, and Cleveland State University. The partners undertook a $32 million renovation that converted the building into the Allen Theatre Complex. The main auditorium closed in 2010 and reopened on September 16, 2011. Its capacity was reduced to just under 500 seats, creating a more intimate room suited to dramatic theater and other contemporary programming. Removable golden panels were installed along the auditorium walls to improve acoustics while preserving the option of exposing the historic artwork below. The project also added two new venues. The Outcalt Theatre, initially called Second Stage, was designed as a flexible space capable of multiple seating arrangements and accommodating about 300 people. The Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre was designed as a roughly 100-seat black-box venue for the Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program and other events. The resulting complex shifted the Allen from a former large-scale cinema and occasional Broadway venue into a multi-space center supporting professional theater, higher education, local artistic production, and varied live performance.

1. 2011Allen Theatre Complex reopens

   The complex reopened on September 16 after a $32 million project reduced the main house to just under 500 seats and added two new performance spaces.

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2. 2010Major renovation begins

   The Allen closed for the redevelopment that would create the multi-venue Allen Theatre Complex.

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3. 2000Cleveland Ballet leaves the city

   The Cleveland Ballet moved to San Jose, changing venue availability and contributing to a decline in Allen Theatre bookings.

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4. 1998Restored theater reopens

   The Allen reopened on October 3 with approximately 2,500 seats and a renewed role in touring Broadway and concert programming.

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5. 1993Playhouse Square Association agrees to purchase the theater

   The association agreed to acquire the Allen as part of its efforts to restore the venue.

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6. 1970Playhouse Square Association is formed

   The organization later associated with the theater’s preservation and redevelopment was established to support Cleveland’s historic theater district.

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7. 1968The theater closes

   The Allen closed on May 7 after downtown theater attendance and finances deteriorated.

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8. 1921Allen Theatre opens

   The theater opened on April 1 as a more-than-3,000-seat silent-film palace designed by C. Howard Crane.

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A restored historic theater complex that combines Cleveland architectural heritage with intimate professional theater, touring performances, university collaboration, and flexible black-box and secondary-stage programming.

• Allen Theatre main auditoriumTheater venue1921

  The principal performance room occupies the historic Allen Theatre building. Originally built as a more-than-3,000-seat silent-movie palace and later reopened with roughly 2,500 seats, it was substantially reconfigured during the 2010–2011 redevelopment. The current arrangement seats just under 500, providing a more intimate setting for dramatic theater, touring productions, concerts, and related performing-arts events. Removable golden wall panels improve acoustics while allowing the original decorative artwork to remain available for display.

• Outcalt TheatreFlexible performance venue2011

  The Outcalt Theatre was created through the Allen Theatre Complex redevelopment and was initially known as Second Stage. It is a flexible room designed to support multiple seating and staging configurations, with maximum capacity of approximately 300 people. Its adaptable layout allows the complex to present productions and events that require a smaller or differently configured space than the main Allen auditorium.

• Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab TheatreBlack-box theater2011

  The Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre is an approximately 100-seat black-box venue added during the Allen Theatre Complex project. It provides a compact, adaptable setting for experimental and educational theater. The space houses activity connected with the Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program and also supports other performances and events throughout the year.

• 2009The Power of Three

  Cleveland · United States

  Playhouse Square, Cleveland Play House, and Cleveland State University collaborated on a $32 million redevelopment to give the Allen a stronger role in professional theater, education, and flexible performance programming.

  Outcome. The project produced the Allen Theatre Complex, reduced the main auditorium’s capacity, improved acoustics, and added the Outcalt and Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre spaces.

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• 1970Playhouse Square preservation effort

  Cleveland · United States

  The formation of the Playhouse Square Association marked an organized effort to preserve and revive Cleveland’s historic downtown theater district, eventually leading to the Allen’s acquisition and restoration.

  Outcome. The initiative helped return the Allen to active theater use and integrate it into the Playhouse Square complex.

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• 2010Conversion into a multi-venue theater complexStrategy

  After the Cleveland Ballet moved away and bookings for the large Allen auditorium declined, Playhouse Square sought a more sustainable use involving local producing and educational organizations.

  What changed. Playhouse Square, Cleveland Play House, and Cleveland State University undertook a $32 million renovation, reconfiguring the main auditorium and adding two new theater spaces.

  Aftermath. The complex reopened in 2011 with a smaller main house, improved acoustics, and facilities serving professional theater, university training, and varied events.

  Renovation cost. $32 million project (2010–2011)

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• 1993Playhouse Square Association pursues acquisitionM&A

  The Allen had been closed for decades except for intermittent uses, while the Playhouse Square Association was working to preserve Cleveland’s historic theater district.

  What changed. The association agreed to purchase the Allen and subsequently restored it for renewed public operation.

  Aftermath. The theater reopened in 1998 as a large performance venue within Playhouse Square.

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• 2011The Power of Three redevelopment creates the Allen Theatre Complex

  A collaboration among Playhouse Square, Cleveland Play House, and Cleveland State University produced a $32 million renovation and added the Outcalt Theatre and Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre.

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• 1998Restored Allen Theatre reopens as a major performance venue

  Following restoration, the Allen reopened with approximately 2,500 seats and served as a venue for touring Broadway musicals, concerts, and other large-scale events.

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• 1993Playhouse Square Association agrees to acquire the Allen Theatre

  The Playhouse Square Association moved to acquire the dormant theater as part of the broader effort to preserve and revive Cleveland’s historic theater district.

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• 1968Allen Theatre closes after the original movie-palace era

  The Allen Theatre closed on May 7 amid financial difficulties affecting downtown Cleveland theaters, with television and suburbanization contributing to declining attendance.

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1. Allen Theatre
2. Playhouse Square