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Near West Theatre provokes theatre
through a process that is intense, challenging and transforming for
participants and audience alike. People from all walks of life come
together to be challenged, by sharing their unique life stories and
experiences, to find their own voices and to make personal
connections with the production. Through this sometimes rugged and
ragged process, people not only discover themselves in new ways but
also relate to each other through the medium of theatre. Connections
are made. Community is formed. The result is authentic, raw and
passionate theatre.
Since its inception, more than 15,000
children, teens and adults have been impacted on stage or behind the
scenes at NWT. Over 92,000 audience members have experienced
the transformational impact of the Theatre.
All participants are
encouraged regardless of skill level or economic status. In addition
to providing audiences with professional caliber, dynamic
performances of full-scale Broadway musicals throughout each season,
NWT provides technical and performance training to those who
participate—entirely free of charge.
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Near West Theatre was born. A
Cleveland Community Development Block Grant award of $800
initiated the program under the auspices of St. Pat's.
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Stephanie Morrison was hired to facilitate the first theatre
production that opened in the summer of 1978. 13 teenagers, 11 -
16 years old, from Urban Community School and the housing
projects, hung in five days a week to rehearse Godspell.
It was performed three times for the local community in August.
Community response was even more encouraging than anticipated.
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1980 |
Enter
Bob Navis as the program's first musical director. Now called
the Near West Side Shared Ministry Youth Theatre, the program
began attracting more and more young people. |
1982 |
George Hrbek wrote a proposal which was funded by the George
Gund Foundation expanding the theatre programs to include
adults. |
1983 |
Tell Me that You Love Me, Junie Moon
was produced with the first cast of adults. The theatre was
renamed Near West Side Community Theatre (NWSCT). George Hrbek and
Stephanie Morrison (now Morrison-Hrbek) co-authored The
Peoples of Cleveland: Building Community with Professor
then-Ed Miggins of Cuyahoga Community College. This oral history tells
the real stories of struggle and triumph of Cleveland's
immigrant communities. It played throughout Greater Cleveland in
parks, malls, schools and churches for a total of 90
performances over nine years. |
1985 |
The
organization received the Governor's Youth Recognition Award for
Development. |
1986 |
NWSCT launched its first intergenerational musical under the direction
of Bob Navis, setting the course for continued multi-age
productions. |
1988 |
With
the support of the Ohio Arts Council, NWSCT underwent an
organizational restructuring process and changed its name to
Near West Theatre (NWT). |
1992 |
NWT
and West Side Community Mental Health Center (now Bridgeway)
produced Breaking Through, an oral history play about
mental health. This project received the Ohio Psychiatric
Association's Enlightenment Award and three national awards:
National Council of Churches' Ecumenical Recognition Award, a
Telly, and a Cindy. |
1999 |
NWT
became an independent 501 (c) 3 organization and formed a Board
of Trustees, Standing and Ad Hoc Committees. At this juncture,
NWT had grown to be a year-round theatre arts program for
children, teens and adults with an emphasis on serving youth.
NWT received major support from the George Gund, Cleveland and
Eleanor Gerson Supporting foundations to expand staff and
professionalize operations. NWT and near west side community
members created a Strategic Plan with Five Key Performance
Areas: Diversity, Promotions, Building, Programming and Fiscal
Self Sufficiency. |
2001 |
In
keeping with its strategic plan, NWT's season expanded to
include five productions. Audiences reached over 6,000 annually. |
2003 |
NWT
celebrated its quarter century mark and earned the Governor's
Award for the Arts in Community Development and Participation.
The Ohio Arts Council rated NWT top in the state among 30
theatres applying for state funds in its budget category (up to
$1 million). NWT had the overall highest rankings in Community
Participation and Accessibility, Artistic Merit,
Organizational/Financial/Project Management, and Planning and
Evaluation. |
2004 |
NWT identified a new home on Detroit and W. 67th streets and
entered into a partnership with Cleveland Public Theatre and
Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization to launch
the Gordon Square Arts District. This economic development
initiative used the arts as the anchor for the district and will
revitalize the neighborhood and commercial district from W.
54th to W. 73rd. NWT's plans were supported by a first-time
National Endowment for the Arts Grant. |
2005 |
NWT
was identified by the Ohio Arts Council as the top-ranked
organization in the northeast Ohio region out of 78 arts groups
with budgets of $1.5 million or less.
NWT received “Let’s Just Play” grant award from Nickelodeon.
NWT completed the conceptual design for its new building with Richard Fleischman Architects. NWT moved its business headquarters to the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood with a street presence on Detroit Avenue, just steps from the future site of NWT’s new building.
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| 2006 |
NWT received a “Champion in Action Award” from Charter One & WJW Fox 8 TV, the first-ever recipient in Ohio. NWT completed a three year engagement with Cleveland Social Venture Partners who provided invaluable assistance
in building organizational capacity and executive leadership. |
 NWT
Productions: 1978 – 2009
1978: Godspell
1979: The Me Nobody Knows
1980: Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope
1981: The Wiz
1982: The Roar of the Greasepaint, the Smell of
the Crowd
1983: Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon,
Cotton Patch Gospel,
Peoples of Cleveland: Building Community
1984: Working, Peace Child, 1984
1985: Philemon, The Cat That Walked Alone, Hot L
Baltimore
1986: Jacques Brel, Where Do I Go?, A Christmas
Carol
1987: Godspell, Fiddler On The Roof, Harvesting
My Dreams
1988: Under the Golden Arches, When We Only Have
Love
1989: Fame, The King and I
1990: West Side Story, Breaking Through, Museum
1991: Pippin, Jesus Christ Superstar
1992: Crimes of the Heart, Man of La Mancha,
Music Man
1993: Camelot, Guys & Dolls, How to Eat Like a
Child, A Christmas Carol
1994: Godspell, The Roar of the Greasepaint, The
Smell of the Crowd, Sound of Music
1995: Our Town, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat,
Breaking Through (Video), Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Wiz
1996: Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, South
Pacific, Alice in Wonderland, Hello, Dolly!
1997: The Life in a Day, The Little Prince, Into
the Woods, Finian’s Rainbow
1998: Dear World, You’re A Good Man, Charlie
Brown, Carousel, Oliver
1999: Bye, Bye Birdie, Seasons of Love, Children
of Eden
2000: The Me Nobody Knows, Sweeney Todd: The
Demon Barber
of Fleet Street,Carnival, My Fair Lady
2001: Pippin, Follow The Yellow Brick Road,
Brigadoon, Free To Be You And Me,
Annie
2002: Evita, The Truth About Cinderella, The
Baker’s Wife, America: Through The
Looking Glass, Scrooge
2003: Zorba, Snoopy!!! , Jesus Christ
Superstar
2004: Hercules vs. Godzilla, The King and I,
Candide, The Hobbit, Anyone Can
Whistle, Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
2005: Sweet Charity, Honk Jr., Oklahoma,
Godspell
2006: Chess, Aladdin Jr., Merrily We Roll
Along, The Music Man
2007: Urinetown: The Musical, Annie Jr.,
Cats, Beauty and the Beast
2008: The Who's Tommy, Seussical Jr., West
Side Story, Finian’s Rainbow
2009: Once on this Island, Sweeney Todd
School Edition
Coffee & The Arts: 1987 – 1992
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