Hanna Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Hanna Theatre is a theater
on Playhouse Square in downtown
Cleveland
, Ohio
, United States
. It is one of the original five venues built in the district, opening on March 28, 1921. The Hanna Theatre reopened in 2008 as the new home of Great Lakes Theater Festival
after a major renovation by the classic theater company.
. Faustinno Sampietro was responsible for most of the interior decorations, which included green and gold carpets, dark green seats, frescoed walls, a fireplace, and Louis XVI gilt furniture; the ceiling was coffered and was made up of circular and octagonal medallions, each of which contained gilded classical figures (including Cupid
, Psyche
, and Pegasus). The orchestra level consisted of 827 seats arranged in 24 rows, and the upper deck held 570 seats. Four rows in the mezzanine, ten rows in the upper balcony, and the box seats brought the theatre's full capacity to 1,421. The stage was forty feet in width and forty feet in depth, equipped with a thirty-six foot proscenium arch.
's adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper
by Mark Twain
. The lobby measured a little over twenty feet in each direction and was nothing in the way of spectacle compared to the State and Ohio theatres, both of which had opened the previous month. At exactly 8:15 Cleveland orchestra director Max Faetkenheuer opened the show with the "Star-Spangled Banner" and the play began. During intermission, playwright Faversham gave an impromptu speech at the request of the theatre patrons.
The Prince and the Pauper adaptation by William Faversham
The Passing Show of 1919 by the Shubert Brothers
Smilin' Through by Allan Langdon Martin
Jim Jam by the Shubert Brothers
Pitter Patter by the Shubert Brothers
The Masquerader
by John Hunter Booth
Midnight Rounders by the Shubert Brothers
Up in the Haymow by James Avery Hopwood
Fools Erant by Louis Evan Shipman
, Lady, Be Good, and Strange Interlude
) and often suffered for it.
theatre, which proved successful enough to generate funding by the Junior League
and the Cleveland Foundation
. By 1993 Ray Shepardson was nationally recognized as a theatre restoration expert, although he was not able to revive interest in the Hanna. The $38 million dollar restoration drive he led mainly helped the larger Playhouse Square theatres, such as the State Theatre, thrive. For the brief time the Hanna did run as a cabaret theatre, the interior was refurbished to meet the new needs. Tables and chairs replaced the usual theatre rows, although Shepardson insisted on preserving the theatre's original, ornate décor.
The 14.7 million dollar renovation was meant to rejuvenate the house space and create a comfortable atmosphere for theatre patrons. The Hanna Theatre was the last Playhouse Square theatre renovated, a process that began in 1981. Great Lakes Theatre Festival producing artistic director Charles Fee
and director Bob Taylor were behind the designs for the new theatre. The renovated Hanna Theatre opened on September 20, 2008.
Theater (structure)
A theater or theatre is a structure where theatrical works or plays are performed or other performances such as musical concerts may be produced. While a theater is not required for performance , a theater serves to define the performance and audience spaces...
on Playhouse Square in downtown
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...
Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is one of the original five venues built in the district, opening on March 28, 1921. The Hanna Theatre reopened in 2008 as the new home of Great Lakes Theater Festival
Great Lakes Theater Festival
Great Lakes Theater Festival is Cleveland, Ohio's professional classic theater company. Founded in 1962, the Festival is the second-largest regional theater in Northeast Ohio. It specializes in large-cast classic plays with a strong foundation in the works of Shakespeare and features an...
after a major renovation by the classic theater company.
Original Structure
The Hanna Theatre was envisioned by industrialist and publisher Daniel Rhodes Hanna as part of a larger complex in memorial to his father, late U.S. Senator Mark A. Hanna, and was designed by architect Charles A. PlattCharles A. Platt
Charles Adams Platt was a prominent artist, landscape gardener, landscape designer, and architect of the "American Renaissance" movement. His garden designs complemented his domestic architecture.-Early career:...
. Faustinno Sampietro was responsible for most of the interior decorations, which included green and gold carpets, dark green seats, frescoed walls, a fireplace, and Louis XVI gilt furniture; the ceiling was coffered and was made up of circular and octagonal medallions, each of which contained gilded classical figures (including Cupid
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
, Psyche
Psyche
- Psychology :* Psyche , a concept of intangible self* Psyche , a periodical on the study of consciousness* Soul in the Bible, or psyche , spirit or soul in philosophy and theology- Art :...
, and Pegasus). The orchestra level consisted of 827 seats arranged in 24 rows, and the upper deck held 570 seats. Four rows in the mezzanine, ten rows in the upper balcony, and the box seats brought the theatre's full capacity to 1,421. The stage was forty feet in width and forty feet in depth, equipped with a thirty-six foot proscenium arch.
Opening
On March 28, 1921, 1,500 people ventured out into the freezing cold temperatures to witness the new theatre's first production, William FavershamWilliam Faversham
William Faversham was a legendary movie and stage actor from England who made his name on Broadway when he starred as Algernon in the original production of The Importance of Being Earnest in 1895...
's adaptation of The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper is an English-language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction...
by Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
. The lobby measured a little over twenty feet in each direction and was nothing in the way of spectacle compared to the State and Ohio theatres, both of which had opened the previous month. At exactly 8:15 Cleveland orchestra director Max Faetkenheuer opened the show with the "Star-Spangled Banner" and the play began. During intermission, playwright Faversham gave an impromptu speech at the request of the theatre patrons.
Hanna Theatre's First Season
The following is a list of productions that ran at the Hanna Theatre beginning in the spring of 1921:The Prince and the Pauper adaptation by William Faversham
The Passing Show of 1919 by the Shubert Brothers
Smilin' Through by Allan Langdon Martin
Jim Jam by the Shubert Brothers
Pitter Patter by the Shubert Brothers
The Masquerader
The Masquerader
The Masquerader is a 1914 film written and directed by Charles Chaplin and starring Chaplin and Roscoe Arbuckle. Its running time is 16 minutes. It is the tenth film directed and the second written by Chaplin.-Synopsis:...
by John Hunter Booth
John Hunter Booth
John Hunter Booth was an American playwright. He wrote 7 films between 1922 and 1933.He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA and died in Norwood, Massachusetts.-External links:...
Midnight Rounders by the Shubert Brothers
Up in the Haymow by James Avery Hopwood
Fools Erant by Louis Evan Shipman
Theatre Rivalry
When Dan R. Hanna died three months into the Hanna Theatre's first full season, the Shubert brothers (Sam, Lee, and J.J. Shubert) remained as lessees under the management of John S. Hale. Around the corner, the brother's biggest rival, Abraham Lincoln Erlanger, continued to lease the Hanna's largest competition, the Ohio Theatre. Under the management of Robert H. McLaughlin, a former newspaperman and press agent, the Ohio Theatre had already built a distinguished repertoire of high class theatre. The Hanna Theatre could not always stand up to such an impressive lineup (including plays such as The Merry Wives of WindsorThe Merry Wives of Windsor
The Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life...
, Lady, Be Good, and Strange Interlude
Strange Interlude
Strange Interlude is an experimental play by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. O'Neill finished the play in 1923, but it was not produced on Broadway until 1928, when it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Lynn Fontanne originated the central role of Nina Leeds on Broadway...
) and often suffered for it.
Ray Shepardson's Vision
The Hanna Theatre closed in 1989, and soon after, Ray Shepardson left his job in the Cleveland public school system to launch a campaign to prevent the closed theatre of Playhouse Square from being destroyed. His new vision for the Hanna was based on the concept of a cabaretCabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
theatre, which proved successful enough to generate funding by the Junior League
Junior League
The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. is a non-profit organization of 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States. Junior Leagues are educational and charitable women's organizations aimed at improving their communities through volunteerism and...
and the Cleveland Foundation
Cleveland Foundation
Established in 1914, the Cleveland Foundation was the world's first community foundation. , it is America's second-largest community foundation, with assets of $1.62 billion and annual grants of around $84 million....
. By 1993 Ray Shepardson was nationally recognized as a theatre restoration expert, although he was not able to revive interest in the Hanna. The $38 million dollar restoration drive he led mainly helped the larger Playhouse Square theatres, such as the State Theatre, thrive. For the brief time the Hanna did run as a cabaret theatre, the interior was refurbished to meet the new needs. Tables and chairs replaced the usual theatre rows, although Shepardson insisted on preserving the theatre's original, ornate décor.
Restoration
The Hanna Theatre was fully restored and reopened in 2008 with the following changes:- Six styles of seating: regular house seating, private box, banquette, club, lounge, and bar; reduction to 550 person capacity
- Multiple ticket-price points for each performance ($20 for lounge area and up to $60 for premium seats)
- A three-part hydraulic thrust stage that can lower to create a traditional proscenium stage with a full orchestra pit
- A computer controlled mechanical fly systemFly systemA fly system, flying system or theatrical rigging system, is a system of lines , blocks , counterweights and related devices within a theatre that enable a stage crew to quickly, quietly and safely fly components such as curtains, lights, scenery, stage effects and, sometimes, people...
structurally independent of the building to handle more weight, intended to raise and lower scenery - Renovated street-level entrance with a door from the balcony level to an elevator lobby in the Hanna Annex building to allow patrons covered access to a parking garage, and balcony access for disabled patrons
- Registration with the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System, in pursuit of a Silver rating, the third-highest rank
The 14.7 million dollar renovation was meant to rejuvenate the house space and create a comfortable atmosphere for theatre patrons. The Hanna Theatre was the last Playhouse Square theatre renovated, a process that began in 1981. Great Lakes Theatre Festival producing artistic director Charles Fee
Charles Fee
Charles Fee is producing artistic director for three classical repertory companies, Idaho Shakespeare Festival in Boise, Idaho, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in Incline Village, Nevada, and Great Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, Ohio...
and director Bob Taylor were behind the designs for the new theatre. The renovated Hanna Theatre opened on September 20, 2008.
Interesting Facts
- Dan Hanna insisted he wanted more room in between the fourth and fifth rows when he tested out a seat he meant to reserve for himself, and as a result there remained thirty-five inches in between these two rows instead of the standard thirty-one inches.
- When the Hanna Theatre opened in 1921, the most expensive seats cost three dollars.