Latest news with #YoungstownPlayhouse
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Almost Maine' takes over local stage
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – A show set in a cold, desolate town with an eclectic group of actors performing in a series of vignettes will make its debut locally this coming weekend. Read next: Tracking severe weather in the Valley 'Almost Maine' is a critically acclaimed ensemble show full of everything a great show needs: warmth, love, relationships, conflict, sadness and humor. Written by playwright John Cariani, it explores all of these themes, adding a touch of magic within nine vignettes. Directed by Mario Ricciardi, it features a cast of 16 local actors with set design by Johnny Pecano and lights by Ellen Licitra. ''Almost Maine' is being performed in the Moyer Room of the Youngstown Playhouse for two weekends from Friday, June 6, to Sunday, June 16. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday matinees are at 2:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased in person at the DeYor Performing Arts Center Box Office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Ticket sales are also available one hour prior to performances at The Youngstown Playhouse. The Youngstown Playhouse is located at 600 Playhouse Lane. For more information and tickets, visit You can also find the Youngstown Playhouse on Facebook. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Youngstown Playhouse to stage shows at a new downtown location
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — The Youngstown Playhouse can seat 450 people at its Glenwood Avenue Theater but next year, the playhouse will be staging shows at another location it's leasing. Youngstown Playhouse President John Cox walked down the main aisle of what was the Oakland Center for the Arts. 'We are getting ready for the playhouse to expand,' he said. Cox and the Playhouse have agreed to lease the theater from Ballet Western Reserve, the owners of the building. 'It just took two nonprofits getting together and talking. We all need to help each other,' Cox said. The plan is to do two to three shows a year starting in March of next year. One show Cox suggested would play well in the theater is 'The Shark Is Broken' — the story of how the movie Jaws was made. 'I want to utilize this place more so for the youth education portion. I mean, not only is running the playhouse but as a pediatrician, the education portion for the youth is really the bigger deal,' he Playhouse used the theater last summer to rehearse Beautiful: The Carol King story. It needs work — lighting, a sound system, a video wall and a good cleaning and painting. Cox is hoping to pay for it with grants and sponsorships. 'I've had two people reach out to me and say we'd like to help. We'd like to put some money down in the downtown. We like this idea,' Cox said. The theater is located on West Boardman Street downtown a block from City Hall in a building that long ago was the Elks Hall — but for the last 20 years has been owned by Ballet Western Reserve. The downtown location is what sold Cox on leasing the space. 'You go to Pittsburgh or New York, you see the lights and the flashing lights and there's stuff to do. It's the ambiance. The atmosphere. And I want to create that a little bit downtown,' Cox said. The working name for the theater is Playhouse Downtown but John Cox is hoping to sell the naming rights as a way to raise money. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Veteran performers ready to be ‘Close to you'
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – A musical tribute to one of the most treasured singing groups of all time is happening at one local theater to support its upcoming centennial celebration. Read next: Social Security begins paying retroactive and higher payments 'Close To You: A Musical Salute to the Carpenters' is happening for one performance only on March 8. The show features three of the area's most prominent performers: Maureen Collins, Mary Jo Maluso and Rick Blackson. The special event is to help raise money for the 100th Anniversary Gala Celebration happening on Saturday, June 21. It promises to be packed with nostalgia and beloved songs so many people grew up with. 'This is going to be a nice vehicle as a fundraiser for the big gala that's happening in June,' said Maluso. 'There will be some surprises, but it's so many of the songs that you know and love.' Blackman, who is married to Maluso, is providing the musical arrangement. Collins, also a performing staple in the Valley, says performing and raising money for a place that shaped her was a no-brainer. 'The Playhouse celebrating 100 years — it's amazing. This is where I fell in love with theater, literally back in the 60s,' said Collins. 'And we love this project and what the Carpenters meant to the world of music.' 'Close To You: A Musical Salute to the Carpenters' is happening on Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. on the main stage at the Youngstown Playhouse located at 600 Playhouse Lane in Youngstown. Tickets may be purchased in person at the DeYor Performing Arts Center Box Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will also be available one hour prior to performances at the Youngstown Playhouse. For more information, call 330-788-8739 and visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Gem of The Ocean' premieres at Youngstown Playhouse
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – A famous playwright's work will debut on a local stage this weekend. August Wilson's 'Gem of the Ocean' premieres at the Youngstown Playhouse on Friday evening. The play takes place in 1904 in Pittsburgh's Hill District. The district is home to a Black community that survived slavery and escaped the discrimination and danger in the South. It's set in the home of a character named Aunt Ester who is said to be almost 300 years old with the ability to cleanse souls. The show is directed by Dr. Lundeana M. Thomas and stars local actors Arcale Peace, Jaietta Jackson, Terry Shears, Nailah Thomas, Waymond Grace, Dan Colvin and DC Colvin. 'Gem of the Ocean' opens on Friday, February 21 on the main stage at the Youngstown Playhouse, located at 600 Playhouse Lane in Youngstown. The show runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday for two weekends. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2:30 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
