WARREN, Ohio – The Oakland Center for the Arts has taken possession of the downtown building that it was given and is starting to turn it into its new home.
Plans to reshape the spacious structure into a theater, classrooms and reception hall have been drawn up.
To raise funds, the Oakland will present a series of events and cabaret-style shows, said Brendan Byers, executive director of the theater.
The first will be a purse and tool bingo night on March 6 in the reception hall.
Attendees will play 12 games of bingo, with new purses and tools as the prizes. Tickets are $50, which include food. Beverages will be sold by donation.
Guests who want to buy extra bingo cards can do so at additional cost.
The event will also include a basket raffle, 50/50 drawing and pull tabs.
A coverall game will conclude the bingo at the end of the event.
“There will be a music singalong between games,” Byers said.
Doors will open at 5 p.m. with food prepared. The games will start at 6 p.m.
Tickets must be reserved in advance by calling 330 406 0606. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
The purse and tool bingo event is being sponsored by HD Growth Partners of Liberty.
Ownership of the First United Church of Christ building at 280 E. Market St. was given to the Oakland in late 2024. The theater company took control of the building in October 2025. The building is about 125 years old.
The congregation disbanded last year and gave its landmark church – which has a golden dome – to the Oakland. It was impressed with the theater company’s proposal because it helps younger people in the community and would boost the revitalization of downtown.
The building is solid and spacious, Byers said.
The main room of the church, where services took place, will become the theater, with seating for about 150.
Two outside organizations are going to rent other space in the structure and use them as classrooms.
And a kitchen and banquet hall in the basement will become a rental hall for parties and meetings, with a capacity of approximately 150.
The theater will get a much larger stage than the present altar. A former choir loft will be transformed into the stage lighting area. Dressing rooms, a costume storage area and a rehearsal space will also be added.
Byers has been with the Oakland since its earliest days when it was located in downtown Youngstown.
The theater was founded in 1986 and produced plays in space it rented in the Morley Building in downtown Youngstown. Beset by financial woes, the theater went dormant in 2015 and stopped producing shows.
Byers and others revived it a few years later as the Kids First Theater Initiative, a company for children and youths.
The new space in downtown Warren will present plays for both adult audiences and youths, Byers said. No plays or musicals are scheduled as of now, but he hopes to announce a schedule later this year.
The theater is working with a grant writer to obtain funding, with a goal of raising $350,000.
“The first phase of construction will cost at least $100,000,” Byers said, including up to $50,000 for stage lighting.
Pictured at top: Brendan Byers stands in front of the altar and the elevated seating area next to it inside the church building that is now the home of the Oakland Center for the Arts. The altar and choir will be removed and rebuilt as a stage.