Near West Theatre

Near West Theatre's Take Your Seat campaign is a special initiative to involve our community in the public phase of our new theatre's opening. This is a unique way for the community to come together and make new seats and risers possible and receive recognition of this support within the new theater.  Your gift will demonstrate your support for our continued legacy in the community!  At the $300 and $1000 donation levels there are opportunities to put your name on an individual seat or recognize someone special.  For $2500, you can be recognized on a riser platform.

The new theater is part of an arts-driven economic development initiative, whose significant impact has been noted in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/travel/in-cleveland-adding-life-where-grit-once-prevailed.html?_r=0).

With audiences of roughly 6,000 each year and cast and crew numbers of nearly 300 over the course of the season, the significance of the company on the community is already extraordinary. The 2015 opening represents the culmination of nearly a decade of dreams and determination to expand the impact of Near West Theatre.

Dubbed the “Magical Factory of Transformation,” the new venue enables us to expand our mission of impacting lives and communities by engaging diverse people in transformational theatre experiences. Specifically designed to support Near West Theatre’s unique creative process and production requirements, the new theater provides audience accessibility and programming capacity unlike anything the organization has experienced in the space it has rented for the past 37 years.  

Featuring solar panels, and "passive-building" techniques, the building also sets a new standard in energy efficiency, ultimately saving the company thousands of dollars each year in energy costs.  

“The outpouring of support for our new theater has been truly humbling and gratifying,” said Jason Bristol, President of Near West Theatre’s Board of Directors. “Consistent with the diverse and inclusive nature of our organization, we received donations ranging from $20 to $2 million. We are grateful to the many individuals and community partners who came together to invest their time, talents and resources to make this new theater possible. We take their trust and confidence in Near West Theatre very seriously and through our long-term strategic plans, we will responsibly operate and sustainably grow our organization and its impact in our new home.”