The Oakland Returns with ‘Rocky Horror Show’

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Oakland Center for the Arts will present its first adult production in about a decade this weekend when it stages “The Rocky Horror Show” at The Youngstown Playhouse.

The theater has been mostly dormant since 2015, when it was unable to meet its financial obligations and had to leave its home in downtown Youngstown.

It carried on in recent years as a children’s theater, with Brendan Byers as the executive director.

Last year, the Oakland received a $63,000 American Rescue Plan grant from the city of Warren that called for the theater to move to that city. It has been seeking a permanent home in Warren, Byers said.

The production of “Rocky Horror” is being directed by Brooke Nobbs and Jude Mikulich. The two are Youngstown State University theater graduates who taught theater at the Oakland last year. They previously directed a production of “Clue” at Collingwood Center in Campbell last year.

Emelia Sherin is handling choreography.

“Rocky Horror” is the offbeat cult classic rock musical that tells the story of a plain young couple who find themselves stranded in the bizarre house of Dr. Frank N Furter. It’s known for involving the audience.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Thursday, Nov. 7), through Sunday. Tickets range from $27 to $17 and can be purchased in advance at ExperienceYourArts.org, or at the box office before each show.

Pictured at top: The cast of the Oakland’s production of “The Rocky Horror Show” is, from left, Jack Rusk, Kathryn Stanton, Carolyn Colley, Samuel Mentzer, Gabriel Kremm, Logan Stafford, Kenna VanZandt, Mia G, Pete Sherman, Brooke Nobbs, Jude Mikulich, Elena Loedding, Kage Coven, Melisa Trickett, Kailey Meehan, Corey Hughes, David Leach and Allyson Kremm. 

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.