YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – It helped lay the career foundation for small and large screen talents, including Joe Flynn of “McHale’s Navy,” Ed O’Neill of “Modern Family” and “Married … With Children” and voice actor Jim Cummings, whose roles span Disney’s Winnie the Pooh to a character in the Star Wars franchise.
The Youngstown Playhouse on June 21 will conclude the celebration of its 100th anniversary with a centennial gala show that will showcase its history and those who participated in it.
“I fell in love with performing here,” Easy Street Productions co-founder Maureen Collins, said. Collins, who credited the Playhouse for launching her career, will narrate the gala show, in which performers from throughout the theater’s history will tell its story.
Many individuals who have played roles with the Playhouse over the past century have gone on to fame and distinction – whether on stage, in front of the cameras, behind microphones or behind the scenes.
Others who caught the acting bug at the storied theater include Elizabeth Hartman, who starred opposite Sidney Portier in “A Patch of Blue,” for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award, both for Best Actress. She won the New Star of the Year Golden Globe.
The Youngstown Playhouse has come a long way since its origins in 1924, founded when several local theater groups coalesced to form the Youngstown Players.
Initially housed in a 19th century barn, the Playhouse moved in 1959 to its home on Youngstown’s south side. And it continues to evolve.
Next year, the organization plans to begin staging shows downtown in space leased from Ballet Western Reserve. It will collaborate with other local organizations, including Smarts Community Art School, at the space.
For any organization to last a century is no small feat, and certainly there have been financial and leadership challenges along the way. There were times over the decades that its long-term survival was far from secure.
But the Youngstown Playhouse endured through talent, hard work, determination, collaboration and adapting to its market. We applaud this Mahoning Valley icon and look forward to its next 100 years – and beyond.