Playhouse plans to raise new roof to mark its 100th season in 2024-25

Source: The Vindicator

YOUNGSTOWN -- A new roof could be part of Youngstown Playhouse's centennial.

Earlier this month, the Ohio House of Representatives approved $238,000 for the Playhouse, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary with its 2024-25 season, making it one of the oldest, ongoing community theaters in the country.

"We feel honored, blessed really," said John Cox, president of the Playhouse's board. "It still has to go through the next phase, but apparently they usually get rubber-stamped at this point."

All of the money will go toward replacing the roof at the theater located off Glenwood Avenue on the South Side.

"We got a grant in the last year to do a feasibility study, which we need to get those higher grants because a lot of them require those kinds of things. The main thing on it, the roof when they did renovations 30 years ago has never been right, so that will mainly go toward that, and once we get that done, we'll step down to the electrical and all the other stuff that needs to get taken care of at the Playhouse."

The money from the state, which is part of a $700 million being allocated by the state House and Senate from unused federal COVID-19 funding and unspent general revenue funds, will cover about 60 percent of the cost, based on the last estimate received by the board.

The board also would like to get new seating in the main theater, including putting an aisle down the center and breaking up the 27-seat-long rows that theatergoers currently navigate.

"Over the last couple years, I've been trying to get us more organized and more planning for the future," Cox said. "For the 100th, it (the state money) will be helpful for starting a fund to keep the momentum, to keep the ball rolling."

Arts organizations like the Playhouse are increasingly dependent on grants, donations and other sources because ticket sales are unable to generate enough money to match operating costs. One avenue Cox wants to explore is expanding the Playhouse's educational offerings

"I want us to be more prominent as a youth arts academy," he said. "With the schools getting out of the arts more and YSU backing out of some of the arts, I really want to continue with that push. That may be the hook for us in the next several plus years. There's more than sports in Youngstown. I played football in college, but there's more to it around here. I want to make that (education) more the anchor for the Playhouse ... I'm looking for what's next and what's going to sustain us for the next 100 years."

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