Bring It On
July 21 - August 06, 2023
"Sometimes the greatest victories are the ones that come from the hardest battles." Loosely based on the 2000 film of the same name written by Jessica...
The Wizard of Oz
November 17 - December 03, 2023
"And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true." Frank Baum’s classic novel comes to life on the Near West Theatre stage! This...
BKLYN The Musical
February 02 - February 18, 2024
"A change is on the way, I can feel it for you." BKLYN the Musical is a play within a play. It begins with a group...
The Last Five Years
September 15 - September 24, 2023
"You and you and nothing but you..." This is a bittersweet, intense, and intimate tale of a brief relationship between two artists. Featured in the round,...
The Prom
April 12 - April 28, 2024
" I'm who I am and I think that's worth fighting for." The careers of four eccentric Broadway stars are struggling and they desperately need a...
Disney's Frozen Jr.
December 31 - December 31, 1969
Tickets for the in-person performances are sold out. Tickets to stream the show live on Saturday, May 4 at 7pm are available at the link...
All Shook Up
July 15 - July 31, 2022
"You gotta follow that dream, wherever that dream may lead..." It’s 1955, and into a square little town in a square little state rides a guitar-playing...
Meredith Willson's The Music Man
November 18 - December 04, 2022
" I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering..." What do you get when a fast-talking salesman comes to town to...
AIN'T MISBEHAVIN' - The FATS WALLER Musical
February 10 - February 19, 2023
"Come in cats, and check your hats, I mean this joint is jumping..." Journey with us to the Golden Age of the Cotton Club for a...
Head Over Heels
April 21 - May 07, 2023
"No matter where you go, here you are..." When Renaissance meets Rock & Roll, the most unforeseeable things can and doth happen! Head Over Heels is...
Cinderella
March 25 - April 10, 2022
A finer night you know you’ll never see! Cinderella’s story is more than one of magic and a prince and a ball—it’s one of friendship and...
The Fantasticks
June 17 - June 26, 2022
Deep in December our hearts should remember, and follow A boy, a girl, two parents, and a wall. The Fantasticks, known for its simplicity and intimate...
Rise: The Reconstruction Project
September 11 - September 19, 2021
Today's actions can change tomorrow's future. What do you choose to do today for your tomorrow? Through the lens of the next generation, Rise: The Reconstruction...
The Little Mermaid
November 19 - December 05, 2021
Wanderin' free, wish I could be... Part of that world With a little help from her underwater friends, Ariel sets out on a wayward journey to explore...
The Web of Anansi
February 18 - February 19, 2022
Through captivating storytelling and scenery, The Web of Anansi will take you on a journey to learn how there's always more to the story than...
Rise: The Isolation Project
October 10 - October 18, 2020
An original writing and performance project for youth, by youth, exploring the impact of coronavirus and Black Lives Matter in their lives. The program offered...
All Roads Lead to Home
December 18 - January 03, 2021
No matter who you ask, the most popular word to describe Near West Theatre is “home.” This year led people down many roads of self-awareness and...
Les Misérables School Edition
March 12 - March 21, 2021
Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise. View the trailer on Facebook. Inspired by a fictional Victor Hugo novel surrounding the real-life vortex...
The Addams Family
September 20 - October 06, 2019
In the kooky, upside-down world of the Addams Family, nothing is ever what is to be expected or adored, nonetheless, this quirky family still has...
Big Fish
November 22 - December 15, 2019
Based on the celebrated novel by Daniel Wallace and the acclaimed film directed by Tim Burton, Big Fish tells the story of Edward Bloom, a...
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
February 21 - March 08, 2020
Inspired by the great British Music Hall and Melodrama traditions of the Victorian Era, The Mystery of Edwin Drood promises an evening of thrills and...
Chess
July 19 - August 04, 2019
My land's only borders lie around my heart. Secrets, lies, collusion and betrayal? Love, courage and loyalty? Checkmate! In this highly acclaimed rock musical, the ancient...
1776
May 03 - May 19, 2019
We the people... Is anybody there? Long before Hamilton, there was 1776! It’s a long, hot summer in Philadelphia, and the Continental Congress is an exhausted...
Anyone Can Whistle
February 15 - February 24, 2019
Whenever they cheer, we're incensedWhatever they're for, we're against! Written by Stephen Sondheim, Anyone Can Whistle is an absurdist social satire about insanity and conformity (among...
Carnival!
November 16 - December 09, 2018
Love makes the world go 'round! Naïve orphan Lili happens upon a failing carnival troupe in the south of France and meets puppeteer Paul, a former...
Newsies
September 21 - September 30, 2018
Seize the day! Set in turn-of-the century New York City, Newsies is the rousing tale of Jack Kelly, a charismatic newsboy and leader of a band...
Spring Awakening
July 27 - August 12, 2018
An angsty rock musical adaptation of the seminal play about the trials and tribulations of growing up. In 1890’s Germany, grown-ups hold all the cards –...
Aida
February 16 - February 25, 2018
Every story, new or ancient, all are tales of love at heart. Winner of four Tony Awards including Best Original Score, Elton John’s Aida tells of...
Beauty and the Beast
November 17 - December 07, 2017
On that glorious mornWhen we're finally rebornAnd we're all of us, human again! Talking candlesticks, an enchanted rose, and dancing tableware?! Bookish Belle has never even...
Xanadu
September 22 - October 01, 2017
You have to believe you are magic! Outrageous '80s flair sparkles under the mirror ball in Xanadu, a laugh-out-loud musical based on the cult-classic film starring...
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
May 04 - May 20, 2018
In 15th century Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral stands in the heart of the city, a fortress of self-proclaimed righteousness and moral authority. Its citizens move...
Carrie the Musical
July 21 - August 06, 2017
A classic morality tale: what goes around, comes around... redemption is not guaranteed! Who could guess that a Stephen King novel could, would or should become...
The Wiz
February 10 - February 19, 2017
A beloved Broadway gem, The Wiz infuses L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" with a dazzling mix of rock, gospel, and soul music....
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
November 18 - December 11, 2016
Before Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and Phantom of the Opera, there was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, still one of the...
Urinetown The Musical
September 16 - September 25, 2016
In the wake of a catastrophic drought, mega-corporation Urine Good Company has passed laws forbidding private restrooms and requiring payment for the usage of public...
Mary Poppins
May 05 - May 21, 2017
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!! At last! This imaginative convergence of the classic film musical and the sophisticated children's books by P. L. Travers comes to the Near West...
Assassins
July 15 - July 31, 2016
“We’re the other national anthem, folks, the ones that can’t get in to the ball park.There’s Another National Anthem, folks, for those who never win…...
Show Boat
May 06 - May 22, 2016
Based on Edna Ferber’s best selling novel of the same name, the musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands, and dock workers on the...
Godspell
February 12 - February 21, 2016
“Out of the ruins and rubble, out of the smoke, out of our night of struggle, can we see a ray of hope?”– from “Beautiful...
Scrooge! The Musical
November 20 - December 13, 2015
It's 1860, and the stingy and cranky Ebenezer Scrooge HATES Christmas. Scrooge loathes people, wishes for the decrease of the surplus of the poor population,...
The Snow Queen
September 18 - September 27, 2015
Be spirited away by this new musical adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's fantastical coming-of-age adventure, which inspired the hit Disney movie Frozen. Join Gerda on...
Hair
July 24 - August 09, 2015
A cast of 16 to 26-year-olds will “Let the Sun Shine” in the rock-pop classic, set amidst the joys and struggles of the 1960s. Experience...
Shrek the Musical
April 24 - May 17, 2015
Let your freak flag fly! A family fun fairy tale! Don’t miss Near West Theatre’s first main-stage show in its new performance facility.
Move On!
June 13 - June 29, 2014
A heartfelt musical celebration of NWT’s past 3 ½ decades: solo songs, scenes and production numbers expressing our artistic and community building legacy of 36...
Jesus Christ Superstar
November 21 - December 07, 2014
Jesus Christ Superstar, the king of rock operas, was created at the end of the turbulent 60s with a social and political rebel at its...
A Christmas Story
November 15 - December 08, 2014
The saga of a little boy whose happiness depends on getting a Red Ryder carbine-action BB gun under the tree, is coming to town, our...
Side Show
July 19 - August 04, 2013
Based on the true story of conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton, who became stars during the Great Depression of the 1930s, Side Show is...
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
May 03 - May 19, 2013
Archwood’s Chris Byrom is part of a diverse community cast of 34 in Near West Theatre’s production of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and...
KLAMOR: Startin' Somethin'
July 25 - July 28, 2013
This is a show devised by youth, with the help of their young-adult instructors, about lousy situations in life — and starting something to make...
Children of Eden
November 16 - December 02, 2012
Fifty-one ordinary people of varied ages and races populate the cast of this professionally produced community theater production. Intense, heartfelt, humorous, tragic and ultimately hopeful,...
Hairspray
July 20 - August 15, 2012
This beloved musical, based on earlier movie versions of the same story, revolves around “pleasantly plump” teenager Tracy Turnbald and is set in racially segregated...
Ragtime
May 04 - May 20, 2012
Set in 1906, Ragtime interweaves the fictional stories of a wealthy family from a New York City suburb, an African American family from Harlem and...
Oliver!
November 18 - December 04, 2011
“There are so many connections between Oliver! and today’s world,” says NWT Artistic Director Bob Navis Jr., who doubles as director and musical director of...
Miss Saigon
July 22 - August 07, 2011
Based on Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon tells the intriguing and heartbreaking story of a young Vietnamese bar girl, Kim (Mariah Victoria Burks),...
Into The Woods
May 06 - May 22, 2011
In Into the Woods, James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim masterfully weave together the famous fairy tales we know and love as the Baker and his...
Willy Wonka
November 19 - December 05, 2010
Prepare to have all your preconceived notions about the world-famous candyman and his mysterious factory turned upside-down as a diverse cast of children, teens &...
Rent, School Edition
July 23 - August 08, 2010
A cast of 37 students, ranging in age from 14 to 19, bring a fresh perspective to the iconic rock musical that celebrates life and...
Secret Garden
May 07 - May 23, 2010
The Secret Garden tells the story of Mary Lennox, an 11-year old girl who, after being orphaned in India, returns to Yorkshire to live with...
The Wiz
November 20 - December 06, 2009
The Wiz takes Frank Baum’s classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and gives it a modern spin. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tinman and the Lion...
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, School Edition
July 17 - August 02, 2009
After many successful runs on Broadway and a hit movie adaptation, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street has become a household name. Near...
Once On This Island
May 01 - May 17, 2009
Nominated for 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical during its run original on Broadway, Once On This Island sings and dances the story of Ti...
Finian's Rainbow
November 21 - December 07, 2008
A musical that wrestles with timely topics and timeless struggles. In this enchanting production created by Burton Lane, E. Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, the...
West Side Story
July 18 - August 03, 2008
The action-packed retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet brought to new life by musical theatre geniuses Bernstein, Sondheim, Robbins and Laurents. Join the Sharks and...
Seussical, Jr.
June 12 - June 15, 2008
Watch your favorite classic characters come to life as we journey into the fantastical, magical, musical land of Dr. Seuss. An array of classic Seussican...
Tommy
May 09 - May 18, 2020
Pete Townshend’s tale of a young boy’s journey from pain to triumph is the most electrifying evening of rock and roll ever to play in...
Beauty and the Beast
November 16 - December 03, 2007
Join us for our Intergenerational Production of Disney’s Beauty & The Beast featuring a unique cast of 53 children, teens and adults including Cleveland’s own...
Cats
July 20 - August 05, 2007
Our theatre will take a ninth-life leap to celebrate our 30th Annual Summer Youth Theatre program in the all-teen reinvention of Cats—featuring a unique cast...
Annie, Jr.
June 15 - June 17, 2007
Urinetown The Musical
May 04 - May 20, 2007
The Music Man
November 17 - December 03, 2006
Merrily We Roll Along
July 21 - August 06, 2006
Aladdin, Jr.
June 16 - June 18, 2006
Chess The Rock Musical
May 05 - May 21, 2006
Godspell
November 18 - December 04, 2005
Oklahoma!
July 22 - August 07, 2005
Honk! Jr.
June 17 - June 19, 2005
Sweet Charity
May 06 - May 22, 2005
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
November 19 - December 05, 2004
Anyone Can Whistle
July 29 - August 08, 2004
The Hobbit
June 18 - June 20, 2004
Candide
May 23 - May 07, 2020
Hercules vs. Godzilla
October 03 - October 05, 2003
The King and I
November 22 - December 08, 2002
Jesus Christ Superstar
July 18 - August 03, 2003
Snoopy!!!
June 27 - June 29, 2003
Zorba
May 02 - May 18, 2003
Scrooge!
November 22 - December 08, 2002
America: Through The Looking Glass
October 04 - October 06, 2002
The Baker's Wife
July 25 - August 04, 2002
The Truth About Cinderella
June 28 - June 30, 2002
Evita
May 03 - May 19, 2002
Annie
November 16 - December 02, 2001
Free to Be... You and Me
October 05 - October 07, 2001
Brigadoon
July 20 - August 05, 2001
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
June 29 - July 01, 2001
Pippin
April 27 - May 13, 2001
My Fair Lady
November 17 - December 03, 2000
Carnival!
July 21 - August 06, 2000
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
May 12 - May 21, 2000
The Me Nobody Knows
April 07 - April 15, 2000
Children of Eden
November 18 - December 05, 1999
Seasons of Love
July 30 - August 08, 1999
Bye, Bye Birdie
May 07 - May 23, 1999
Oliver!
November 19 - December 06, 1998
A funhouse of adventure and mystery, a world where an orphan discovers himself in the midst of beggars, theives, funeral directors, rich benefactors, flower sellers...
Carousel
July 24 - August 10, 1998
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
May 22 - May 31, 1998
Dear World
May 01 - May 10, 1998
Finian's Rainbow
November 20 - December 07, 1997
Into The Woods
July 25 - August 10, 1997
The Little Prince
May 23 - June 01, 1997
The Life in a Day
May 02 - May 11, 1997
Helly, Dolly!
November 21 - December 07, 1996
Alice in Wonderland
July 11 - July 14, 1996
South Pacific
July 26 - August 10, 1996
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
May 02 - May 19, 1996
The Wiz
November 30 - December 17, 1995
A Midsummer Night's Dream
July 20 - August 06, 1995
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
May 19 - June 14, 1995
Our Town
April 27 - April 30, 1995
The Sound of Music
December 01 - December 18, 1994
The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd
July 21 - August 07, 1994
Godspell
June 02 - June 12, 1994
How to Eat Like a Child (And Other Lessons in Not Being a Grown-Up)
November 04 - November 14, 1993
Guys & Dolls
July 22 - August 08, 1993
Camelot
April 22 - May 16, 1993
The Music Man
November 09 - December 03, 1992
Man of La Mancha
July 24 - August 09, 1992
Crimes of the Heart
April 24 - May 10, 1992
Jesus Christ Superstar
November 29 - December 15, 1991
Pippin
July 19 - August 04, 1991
Museum
November 30 - December 16, 1990
Breaking Through
April 19 - April 21, 1990
A play that shatters the myths about mental illness. Based on the actual stories of mental health consumers, family members, and mental health professionals. Authors' Note:...
West Side Story
July 19 - August 05, 1990
The King and I
November 27 - December 13, 1989
Fame
July 20 - August 06, 1989
When We Only Have Love
August 12 - August 20, 1988
A note from our founder, Stephanie: “When We Only Have Love” was a medley of the best of the best songs from our past shows...
Under the Golden Arches
February 27 - February 29, 1988
Director's Note: "Under the Golden Arches" has already fulfilled one of its goals before the curtain rises. It was my intent in piecing monologues, scenes,...
Harvesting My Dreams
March 28 - March 29, 1987
Authors' Note: "You sow… Your reap…" You harvest this simple string of works spoken by one of the women of "Harvesting My Dreams," became the...
Fiddler on the Roof
December 03 - December 13, 1987
Godspell
August 08 - August 16, 1987
A Christmas Carol
December 05 - December 14, 1986
Where Do I Go?
August 01 - August 10, 1986
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris
February 21 - March 02, 1986
The Hot L Baltimore
November 01 - November 09, 1985
The Cat That Walked Alone
August 02 - August 11, 1985
Philemon
February 15 - February 25, 1985
1984
November 15 - November 19, 1984
Peace Child
August 03 - August 12, 1984
Working
February 24 - March 04, 1984
Our first musical with adults!
Peoples of Cleveland: Building Community
December 01 - December 11, 1983
Author’s Note: “The Peoples of Cleveland” script is primarily based on oral histories which were collected be the Cleveland Ethnographic Museum. Interviews were collected from...
Cotton Patch Gospel
August 12 - August 14, 1983
Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
March 25 - March 27, 1983
The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd
August 12 - August 14, 1982
The Wiz
December 31 - December 31, 1969
Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope
August 08 - August 10, 1980
The Me Nobody Knows
August 10 - August 12, 1979
Godspell
August 10 - August 12, 1978
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