PlayhouseSquare, Cleveland Play House and Cleveland State Announce Campaign Progress

The Power of Three: The Allen Theatre Project, a capital campaign undertaken in partnership between Cleveland State University (CSU), PlayhouseSquare and Cleveland Play House (CPH), is thrilled to announce the successful progress of its fundraising efforts with $27 million committed toward the $32 million goal.

The Power of Three has garnered contributions from foundations, individuals and corporations and has also received $6 million in New Market Tax Credits to create three new state-of-the-Art Theatres in PlayhouseSquare, the country's largest performing arts center outside of New York City. This complex will be home to Cleveland Play House, America's first regional theatre company, and Cleveland State University's Department of Theatre and Dance, a rapidly-growing program in a university that truly and visibly embraces its role in downtown Cleveland's revitalization.

The capital campaign is led by a steering committee comprised of representatives from all three institutions, under the direction of co-chairs Alec Pendleton and Walter Kalberer, both vice-chairs of the board of CPH.

"Every donor, and particularly these lead donors to this most innovative arts and education project, has our deepest gratitude. We hope they are proud of what their foresight and generosity is producing," Pendleton said on behalf of the co-chairs.

Eleven $1 million dollar-plus gifts make up 42% of total contributions made thus far. These leadership donors are: The Cliffs Foundation, The Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation, Char & Chuck Fowler, The George Gund Foundation, Walter & Jean Kalberer, KeyBank Foundation, Peter B. Lewis and Toby Devan Lewis in honor of Peter's mother Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky, the Milton and Tamar Maltz Family Foundation, Barbara & Stanley Meisel, Parker Hannifin Foundation, and the Kelvin and Eleanor Smith Foundation. Other notable contributions come from the board of directors of Cleveland Play House, whose combined gifts total $6 million (four $1 million gifts among that total).

"We are thrilled to see the wide range of generous support for The Power of Three: The Allen Theatre Project," says Kevin Moore, managing director of Cleveland Play House. "The CPH board of directors, foundations, corporations and individuals that have supported this effort demonstrated their belief in the cultural, educational and economic benefits of the project, as well as the deep collaboration between CPH, CSU and PlayhouseSquare that made it possible. All three institutions look forward to completing the campaign over the next year, and to working together to serve our community long into the future."

PROJECT GOALS OF THE POWER OF THREE: THE ALLEN THEATRE PROJECT
The Allen Theatre complex will include the 500 seat Mainstage theatre nestled in the historic environs of the Allen theatre itself, and two new theatres built from scratch: a 300-seat flexible Second Stage and the 150-seat Helen Rosenfeld Lewis Bialosky Lab Theatre, all to be shared by Cleveland Play House (including its Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA Acting Program), Cleveland State University's undergraduate drama and dance department and PlayhouseSquare.

"We are very grateful to the many generous donors who are helping to make this one of the most exciting and engaging undergraduate theater programs in the country," said CSU president Ronald Berkman. "The Allen Theatre will be the centerpiece of CSU's emerging arts campus in PlayhouseSquare."

Also included in the new construction is the dramatic new KeyBank Concourse to guide patrons from The PlayhouseSquare garage via a new entrance and through the center of the Allen Theatre complex, serving as a gateway to all theaters, restaurants and offices that make PlayhouseSquare such a destination.

"We anticipate that more than 150,000 additional guests will visit The PlayhouseSquare District each year. In addition, employees of Cleveland Play House and faculty from Cleveland State University arts programs will work in the district and CSU students will have classes and attend performances. All of this adds to the excitement at PlayhouseSquare," explains Art J. Falco, president and CEO of PlayhouseSquare. "This partnership is a point of pride for the Northeast Ohio community because it benefits our students, our economy, and our stature as a vibrant, forward-thinking city."

CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION!
December 3 marks Celebration! Create - Collaborate - Educate, a collaborative benefit for The Power of Three campaign at PlayhouseSquare. Entertainment headliner: Tony-nominated performer Raul Esparza. Chairs: Char Fowler, Ellen Stirn Mavec, K.K. Sullivan. Honorary chairs: Lainie Hadden, Chloe Oldenburg, Michael Schwartz. Vice Chairs: Julia Bolton, Jenny Brown, Mebby Brown. For more information contact: Leanne Ahl at 216-348-5268.

In January 2012, The Power of Three will announce the public phase of the campaign, which will feature a broad-based appeal and will seek community-wide participation.

Founded in 1915, Cleveland Play House is America's first professional regional theatre. More than 11 million people have attended over 1,100 productions at Cleveland Play House - including more than 100 American and/or World Premieres. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Bloom and Managing Director Kevin Moore, Cleveland Play House is an artist-driven theatre that serves the community by holding true to its mission: To inspire, stimulate and entertain diverse audiences in Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards.

Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution that provides a dynamic setting for engaged learning. With an enrollment of more than 17,000 students, eight colleges and approximately 200 academic programs, CSU was again chosen for 2011 as one of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report.

PlayhouseSquare is a not-for-profit performing arts center-the largest in the nation outside of New York City--that presents and produces more than 1,000 performances annually and strives to advance arts education while focusing on area development activities in order to strengthen the economic vitality of the region. With eight performing spaces, PlayhouseSquare welcomes more than one million visitors per year and still represents the world's largest theater restoration project, as five of the eight spaces were restored to their original 1920's condition. In 2005, the Idea Center at PlayhouseSquare, opened as a joint partnership between PlayhouseSquare and ideastream. It houses the studios, technical facilities and offices of ideastream's WCPN (90.3 FM) and WVIZ (Channel 25) as well as the classrooms, dance studio and rehearsal space for PlayhouseSquare's arts education programs. The PlayhouseSquare Real Estate Services division is focused on area development and enhancement projects that surround The PlayhouseSquare District as well as property/asset management consulting and services for areas outside of the District.

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