Cleveland

Performing Arts

Cleveland is host to a thriving music, theater, and film community. The Cleveland Orchestra (TCO), founded in 1918, is considered one of the finest orchestras in the world. TCO performs during the concert season at Severance Hall, which opened in 1931, and during the summer at Blossom Music Center. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, designed by I. M. Pei (1917–), opened on the lakeshore in downtown in 1994. The Polka Hall of Fame, located in Euclid, celebrates Polka Month (November) each year with an induction ceremony and a weekend-long program of concerts and events. The Cleveland Play House, the oldest repertory theater in the United States, operates three stages in a large theater complex. Karamu (Swahili for "a place of joyful gathering") House is the oldest U.S. theater producing plays written by African Americans. In the downtown business district, the Playhouse Square area includes four theaters: the Ohio, home to the Great Lakes Theatre Festival; the State, home to Cleveland Opera and Cleveland Ballet; the Palace, home to large touring Broadway shows; and the Allen. There are 175 movie theaters in the greater Cleveland area. The Cleveland International Film Festival, held each spring, is nationally renowned.