Near West Theatre

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Near West Theatre Ordinary people. Extraordinary theatre.

Near West Theatre builds loving relationships and engages diverse people in strengthening their sense of identity, passion, and purpose, individually and in community, through accessible, affordable and transformational theatre arts experiences. Our institutional values encompass Love, Inclusivity, Accessibility, Affordability, Integrity, Creativity, Artistic Excellence, Social Justice, and Continuity of Relationships. Get to know us by following us and meeting the incredible people who make our community theatre unlike any other that you've met before.

10/22/2026

As we continue our journey on the Road to 50, we’re looking back at where it all began!

Starting with our first production in 1982 through 1985, these photos capture some of the earliest moments, productions, and people who helped shape Near West Theatre into what it is today.

Nearly 50 years later, we’re celebrating the stories, songs, and community that have filled our stage throughout the decades.

Join us November 5, for an unforgettable evening as we celebrate the songs that shaped us from 1978-1990.

Tickets are $20 with Pay What You Choose Options Available.

Get your tickets here: https://ow.ly/O63850ZXQHy

⭐AUDITION REMINDER⭐Reminder, Audition Registration for our Winter Youth Production of HONK! at Near West Theatre is OPEN...
10/22/2026

⭐AUDITION REMINDER⭐
Reminder, Audition Registration for our Winter Youth Production of HONK! at Near West Theatre is OPEN!

Audition Information
Ages: 9 - 15
Audition Dates: November 9, 10, and 11 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Callbacks (By invitation only): November 14
Performance Dates: February 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28

For more information, visit: https://ow.ly/vnaq50ZqSAj

Directed by Kristy Cruz

Book by Anthony Drewe
Music by George Stiles
Lyrics by Anthony Drewe
Based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling

Honk! Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. https://ow.ly/cAuu50ZqSAi

Ghoul-friends, get ready for a frightfully fabulous evening where the only thing scarier than the high heels will be how...
10/22/2026

Ghoul-friends, get ready for a frightfully fabulous evening where the only thing scarier than the high heels will be how hard these Queens slay!

Veranda L’Ni, Cleveland’s Tallest Drag Performer, and her friends Magic Mike, Comatose, and NWT Executive Director Mike Obertacz will be brewing up killer looks, hair-raising vocals, and spooky sass that’ll have you screaming, “Yaaas, Witch!”

From haunted hits to bewitched Broadway bops, this macabaret will have you screaming for more! No creepy crawlies here, and no lizards in THIS lounge!

Details:
Ages: 18+ (Bring your ID, darlings!)
Tickets: $20 in advance | $25 at the door
Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 7 PM-9 PM (Doors creak open at 6:30 PM)

Get your tickets here: https://ow.ly/gYkz50ZQlcS

Why be basic when you can be boo-tifully VIP? Upgrade your night and sit where the magic (and the mayhem) happens! Get your VIP package before it disappears into the night, because even witches know the best seats are in the Glitter Zone!

Diva Duo $85
- 2 Glitter Zone seats
- 2 Golden raffle tickets
- 3 item bento box
- 1 bottle of w**e or a bucket of b**r
- Autographed Queen photo

Glitter Gang $160
- 4 Glitter Zone seats
- 4 Golden raffle tickets
- 4 item bento box
- 1 bottle of w**e or a bucket of b**r
- 4 Royal Sashes
- Autographed Queen photo

Cauldron cocktails & creepy concoctions at the cash bar: 6:30-9 PM

Ghoulishly good bites from Ninja City: 6:30-8 PM (extra purchase)

Whether you’re serving witchy realness, undead glam, or monster couture, bring your fiercest Halloween look. We’ll be hosting a costume contest, so strut your spooky stuff for a chance to sn**ch a wickedly wonderful prize!

Don’t ghost us, snag your tickets, and let’s make this a night to dismember!

To know where we’re going, we have to remember where we started. As we continue our journey toward Near West Theatre’s 5...
10/21/2026

To know where we’re going, we have to remember where we started.

As we continue our journey toward Near West Theatre’s 50th Anniversary in 2028, we’re excited to welcome back Road to 50: Celebrating the Songs That Shaped Us on Thursday, November 5, presented by Bank of America!

Join NWT alumni, past and present, for an unforgettable evening of music, memories, and storytelling featuring songs from Godspell, The Wiz, Hair, Fiddler on the Roof, and more as we celebrate the people and productions that shaped our earliest years.

Tickets: 20, Pay What You Choose Options Starting at $10

Get Your Tickets Here: https://ow.ly/k8Fv50ZZU1K

10/21/2026

Tomorrow Starts With Us.

At Near West Theatre, Annie reminds us that hope is something we build together. Through the connections we make, the communities we create, and the love we share, we all have the power to shape a brighter tomorrow.

Join NWT Artistic Director and Annie Director, Trinidad Snider, as she shares a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals with our intergenerational cast of local Cleveland talent.

Because tomorrow isn’t just something we hope for. It’s something we create together.

Annie runs November 20 through December 6
Tickets are $20 with Pay What You Choose options available.

Get your tickets today for this incredible production and remember together we can build a brighter tomorrow.

Get your tickets here: https://ow.ly/4ZS250ZUFiS

Specialty Performances:
November 27 - Alumni Night
November 28 - Signed Performance by The Heard
December 4 - Sensory Performance

Book by Thomas Meehan
Music by Charles Strouse
Lyrics by Martin Charnin
Based on Little Orphan Annie by permission of The Media Tribune Services, Inc.

Director: Trinidad Snider �Musical Director: Bradley Wyner �Choreographer: Kenya Woods�Assistant Director/Choreographer: Jailyn Harris
Season Artwork by Noah Hrbek

Annie Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 423 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019 ( ) 212-541-4684 ( ) 212-397-4684 https://ow.ly/Y9mq50ZUFiQ

gordonsquaresrtsdistrict TheLandforLife Cleveland

10/20/2026

As we continue our journey on the Road to 50, we're looking back at where it all began!

Starting with our first production in 1978 through 1981, these photos capture some of the earliest moments, productions, and people who helped shape Near West Theatre into what it is today.

Nearly 50 years later, we're celebrating the stories, songs, and community that have filled our stage throughout the decades.

Join us November 5 & 7, for an unforgettable evening as we celebrate the songs that shaped us from 1978-1990.

Tickets are $20 with Pay What You Choose Options Available.

Get your tickets here: https://ow.ly/O63850ZXQHy

Near West Theatre is excited to bring Annie to the stage November 20 through December 6!This timeless, family-friendly m...
10/17/2026

Near West Theatre is excited to bring Annie to the stage November 20 through December 6!

This timeless, family-friendly musical features an intergenerational cast of 45 local artists, ages 8 to 70, coming together to share a story filled with optimism, courage, and the belief that a brighter future is always possible.

Experience Annie live in the heart of Cleveland’s Gordon Square Arts District and see what happens when a community comes together to believe in tomorrow.

Get your tickets today, and remember: together, we can build a brighter tomorrow.

Annie runs November 20 through December 6
Tickets are $20 with Pay What You Choose options available.

Get your tickets here: https://ow.ly/Kj9W50ZJ08g

Specialty Performances:
November 27 - Alumni Night
November 28 - Signed Performance by The Heard
December 4 - Sensory Performance

Book by Thomas Meehan
Music by Charles Strouse
Lyrics by Martin Charnin
Based on Little Orphan Annie by permission of The Media Tribune Services, Inc.

Director: Trinidad Snider �
Musical Director: Bradley Wyner �
Choreographer: Kenya Woods�
Assistant Director/Choreographer: Jailyn Harris
Season Artwork by Noah Hrbek

Annie Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 423 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019 ( ) 212-541-4684 ( ) 212-397-4684 https://ow.ly/UkPt50ZJ08c

We are proud to be a community partner on The City Club of Cleveland’s upcoming forum: At a Crossroads: The Future of LG...
10/16/2026

We are proud to be a community partner on The City Club of Cleveland’s upcoming forum:
At a Crossroads: The Future of LGBTQ Rights, Policy, and Public Life in America

On Thurs. 11/5, Imani Rupert Gordon, president of the The National Center for LGBTQ Rights will speak on the current state of LGBTQ advocacy, policy, and public discourse nationwide. We hope you’ll join us!

Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Livestream starts at noon

Tickets available here: https://ow.ly/1Vz650ZYgic

https://ow.ly/tL4p50ZYgib

We're so excited to announce the cast for our upcoming concert, Road to 50: Celebrating the Songs That Shaped Us (1978-1...
10/14/2026

We're so excited to announce the cast for our upcoming concert, Road to 50: Celebrating the Songs That Shaped Us (1978-1990)!

Join us November 5 & 7, for an unforgettable evening as we celebrate the songs that shaped us. Tickets are $20 with a $10 Pay What You Choose option. Get your tickets here: https://ow.ly/O63850ZXQHy

As we continue our journey toward Near West Theatre’s 50th Anniversary in 2028, we’re excited to welcome back Road to 50: Celebrating the Songs That Shaped Us, presented by Bank of America!��

For our second concert, we’re opening the NWT vault and rewinding the clock to revisit the music, people, and stories that shaped our earliest years.

Join us for an evening of music and storytelling featuring songs from The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, Working, Godspell, The Wiz, Hair, The Me Nobody Knows, Fiddler on the Roof, and more.��

Through the voices of Near West Theatre artists, past and present, we’ll travel back to where it all began, hearing from the people who helped build Near West Theatre and celebrating the generations Near West Theatre has helped build along the way.��

Featuring:�Jolene Adkins, Amanda Bender, Kyla Burks, Paris Bunch, Christina Ciofani, Carlos Cruz, Kristy Cruz, Gloria DeJesus, Joel Fenstermaker, Sophie Hull, Linda Pack, Camila Piñero, Maurice Salmon, David Turner, & Sydney Noelle Warren�

�

Ghoul-friends, get ready for a frightfully fabulous evening where the only thing scarier than the high heels will be how...
10/13/2026

Ghoul-friends, get ready for a frightfully fabulous evening where the only thing scarier than the high heels will be how hard these Queens slay! Veranda L’Ni, Cleveland’s Tallest Drag Performer, and her friends will be brewing up killer looks, hair-raising vocals, and spooky sass that’ll have you screaming “Yaaas, Witch!”

From haunted hits to bewitched Broadway bops, this macabaret will have you screaming for more! No creepy crawlies here, and no lizards in THIS lounge!

Details:

Ages: 18+ (Bring your ID, darlings!)

Tickets: $20 in advance | $25 at the door

Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026 | 7 PM-9 PM (Doors creak open at 6:30 PM)

Get your tickets here: https://ow.ly/ES2g50ZVGMg

Why be basic when you can be boo-tifully VIP? Upgrade your night and sit where the magic (and the mayhem) happens! Get your VIP package before it disappears into the night, because even witches know the best seats are in the Glitter Zone!

Diva Duo $85

- 2 Glitter Zone seats

- 2 Golden raffle tickets

- 3 item bento box

- 1 bottle of w**e or a bucket of b**r

- Autographed Queen photo

Glitter Gang $160

- 4 Glitter Zone seats

- 4 Golden raffle tickets

- 4 item bento box

- 1 bottle of w**e or a bucket of b**r

- 4 Royal Sashes

- Autographed Queen photo

Cauldron cocktails & creepy concoctions at the cash bar: 6:30-9 PM

Ghoulishly good bites from Ninja City: 6:30-8 PM (extra purchase)

Whether you’re serving witchy realness, undead glam, or monster couture, bring your fiercest Halloween look. We’ll be hosting a costume contest, so strut your spooky stuff for a chance to sn**ch a wickedly wonderful prize!

Don’t ghost us, snag your tickets, and let’s make this a night to dismember!

Address

6702 Detroit Avenue
Cleveland, OH
44102

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+12169619750

Website

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