Beck Center for the Arts
Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood, Ohio, is a non-profit, performing arts and arts education organization. It is the largest theater and arts center on Cleveland's West Shore, educating and entertaining over 65,000 people per year. On its 3½ acre campus, Beck Center houses two stages producing live theater for children, teens and adults; two gallery spaces, and over thirty classrooms for educational programming for children and adults. It offers classes in visual arts, music, theater and dance.
Formation | 1931 |
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Type | Theatre group |
Location |
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Website | beckcenter |
The Beck Center was originally named the "Guild of the Masques" when it was founded by Richard Kay in 1929; formally incorporating as the Lakewood Little Theatre in 1933. The group moved onto its current site in Lakewood, Ohio in a theater originally designed for the movies, the Lucier, in 1938. They redesigned the interior space for live plays and purchased the building in 1943. In the following decades, the group bought up contiguous land, and, in 1972 began a capital campaign to build a new center. They were successful in raising $600,000 which was matched by ad exec Kenneth C. Beck and the current Beck Center was built in 1975.[1]
Beck Center for the Arts hosts the longest running youth theater program in the United States, running for nearly seventy years.
Productions
2023-2024 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Doubt: A Parable | May 26 - June 25 | Studio Theater |
Once On This Island | July 7 – August 6 | Senney Theater |
Cat's-Paw | September 22– October 22 | Studio Theater |
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | December 1– December 30 | Senney Theater |
Ride the Cyclone | February 9 – February 25 | Senney Theater |
Jitney | April 5 – May 5 | Studio Theater |
A Doll's House, Part 2 | May 31—June 30 | Studio Theater |
Beautiful, the Carole King Musical | July 12– August 11 | Senney Theater |
2023-2024 Season Youth Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
TBA | October 26 - Oct 29, 2023 | Senney Theater |
Going Medieval: A Ye Olde Comedie | December 8 - December 17 | Studio Theater |
Mean Girls (High School Version) | March 3 - March 24 | Senney Theater |
The Wizard of Oz | May 10- May 19 | Senney Theater |
2022-2023 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Buyer & Cellar | September 9- October 9 | Studio Theater |
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time | September 23- October 16 | Senney Theater |
Elf the Musical | December 2- December 30 | Senney Theater |
Ghost the Musical | February 10- February 26 | Senney Theater |
Noises Off | March 24- April 16 | Senney Theater |
Doubt: A Parable | May 26- June 25 | Studio Theater |
Once On This Island | July 7- August 6 | Senney Theater |
2021-2022 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Broadway Bound | September 10- October 3 | Senney Theater |
The Exonerated | October 8- November 7 | Studio Theater |
Elf the Musical | December 30- January 2 | Senney Theater |
Lizzie | February 4- February 26 | Senney Theater |
Meteor Shower | April 1- May 1 | Studio Theater |
The Legend of Georgia McBride | May 27- June 26 | Studio Theater |
Something Rotten! | July 8- August 7 | Senney Theater |
2021- 2022 Season Youth Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Little Tech Class of Horrors: When Good Science Goes Bad | October 22- October 24 | Senney Theater |
The Real Valkyries of Valhalla | December 10- December 19 | Studio Theater |
Disney's: High School Musical | March 18- March 27 | Senney Theater |
Bugsy Malone | May 6- May 15 | Senney Theater |
2020-2021 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Fully Committed | November 13- December 6 | Online |
5 New Musicals X 15 Minutes | February 12 - February 28 | Online |
Beck Broadway Alums in Concert | March 5- March 28 | Online |
This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing | July 23- August 8 | Senney Theater |
2020-2021 Season Youth Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Zopp | October 22- October 25 | Online |
A Christmas Peril | December 10 - December 13 | Online |
The Teen Untitled Sketch Show | March 25- March 28 | Online |
Honk, Jr. | May 20- May 24 | Online |
2019-2020 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Glengarry Glen Ross | September 13 - October 6 | Mackey Theater |
The Member of the Wedding | October 4 - November 3 | Studio Theater |
Shrek the Musical | December 6 - January 5 | Mackey Theater |
The Scottsboro Boys | February 7 - February 23 | Mackey Theater |
Meteor Shower | April 3 - May 3 | Studio Theater |
Disgraced | May 29- June 28 | Studio Theater |
Something Rotten! | July 10 - August 9 | Mackey Theater |
2019-2020 Season Youth Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
The Trials of Robinhood | October 24 - October 27 | Mackey Theater |
Once Upon a Decade | December 13 - December 22 | Studio Theater |
Mockingbird | February 28 - March 8 | Studio Theater |
2018-2019 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
An Act of God | September 14 - October 7 | Mackey Theater |
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | October 5 - November 4 | Studio Theater |
Shrek the Musical | December 7 - January 6 | Mackey Theater |
Once | February 8 - February 24 | Mackey Theater |
Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill | March 15 - April 14 | Studio Theater |
King Lear | May 31 - June 30 | Studio Theater |
Matilda the Musical | July 12 - August 11 | Mackey Theater |
2018-2019 Season Youth Theater Presented by the Mort and Iris Philanthropic Fund
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Cinderella | October 26 - October 28 | Mackey Theater |
Law & Order: Nursery Rhyme Unit | December 14 - December 23 | Studio Theater |
13 | April 5 - April 14 | Mackey Theater |
Seussical | May 10 - May 19 | Mackey Theater |
2017-2018 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | September 15 - October 8 | Mackey Theater |
Waiting for Godot | October 6 - November 5 | Studio Theater |
The Little Mermaid | December 1 - December 31 | Mackey Theater |
Hair | February 9 - February 25 | Mackey Theater |
My First Time | March 30 - April 29 | Studio Theater |
Bent | June 1 - July 1 | Studio Theater |
Gypsy | July 6 - August 12 | Mackey Theater |
2017-2018 Season Youth Theater Presented by the Mort and Iris Philanthropic Fund
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Snow White's Adventures | October 26 - October 29 | Mackey Theater |
All Greek to Me | December 8 - December 17 | Studio Theater |
The Laramie Project | March 2 - March 11 | Studio Theater |
Annie | May 11 - May 20 | Mackey Theater |
2016-2017 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Ruthless! | September 16 - October 16 | Mackey Theater |
Body Awareness | October 7 - November 6 | Studio Theater |
Disney's The Little Mermaid | December 2 - December 31 | Mackey Theater |
Bring It On The Musical | February 10 - February 26 | Mackey Theater |
A Great Wilderness | March 3 - April 9 | Studio Theater |
Really Really | June 2 - July 2 | Studio Theater |
City of Angels | July 7 - August 13 | Mackey Theater |
2016-2017 Season Youth Theater Presented by the Mort and Iris Philanthropic Fund
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | November 4 - November 6 | Mackey Theater |
AARGH! | December 10 - December 18 | Studio Theater |
Carrie the Musical | March 24 - April 2 | Mackey Theater |
Schoolhouse Rock Live | May 12 - May 21 | Mackey Theater |
2015-2016 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
The Spitfire Grill | September 18 - October 18 | Mackey Main Stage |
Mothers and Sons | October 9 - November 15 | Studio Theater |
Mary Poppins | December 4 - January 3 | Mackey Main Stage |
In the Heights | February 12 - February 28 | Mackey Main Stage |
Shining City | April 1 - May 1 | Studio Theater |
Heathers the Musical | May 27 - July 2 | Studio Theater |
Billy Elliot the Musical | July 8 - August 14 | Mackey Main Stage |
2015-2016 Season Youth Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
A Little Princess | November 5 - November 8 | Mackey Main Stage |
Happily Forever After | December 11 - December 20 | Studio Theater |
Bright Ideas | February 2 - March 6 | Studio Theater |
Big the Musical | May 13 - May 22 | Mackey Main Stage |
2014-2015 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Forever Plaid | September 12 - October 12 | Mackey Main Stage |
[Title of Show] | October 10 - November 16 | Studio Theater |
Mary Poppins | December 5 - January 4 | Mackey Main Stage |
Dogfight | February 6 - March 15 | Studio Theater |
Lend Me a Tenor | March 27 - April 26 | Mackey Main Stage |
The Young Man From Atlanta | May 29 - June 28 | Studio Theater |
American Idiot | July 10 - August 16 | Mackey Main Stage |
2014-2015 Season Youth Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Mr. Toad's Mad Adventures | November 6 - November 9 | Mackey Main Stage |
Hillbilly Holiday | December 12 - December 21 | Studio Theater |
Chicago | February 20 - March 1 | Mackey Main Stage |
Oliver! | May 15 - May 24 | Mackey Main Stage |
2013-2014 Season Professional Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
She Loves Me | September 20 - October 20 | Mackey Main Stage |
33 Variations | October 11 - November 17 | Studio Theater |
Annie | December 6 - January 5 | Mackey Main Stage |
Carrie the Musical | February 7 - March 9 | Mackey Main Stage |
'night, Mother | March 21 - May 4 | Studio Theater |
Seminar: A Comedy | May 30 - June 29 | Studio Theater |
Young Frankenstein | July 11 - August 17 | Mackey Main Stage |
2013-2014 Season Youth Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
The Pied Piper of Hamelin | November 7 - November 10 | Mackey Main Stage |
Law and Order: Fairy Tale Unit | December 13 - December 22 | Studio Theater |
The Children's Hour | February 21 - March 2 | Mackey Main Stage |
The Wizard of Oz | May 9 - May 18 | Mackey Main Stage |
2009-2010 Season Youth Theater
Show | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe | November 5 - November 8 | Mackey Main Stage |
All Greek to Me | December 11 - December 20 | Studio Theater |
Twelve Angry Jurors | February 19 - February 28 | Studio Theater |
Seussical The Musical! | May 14 - May 22 | Mackey Main Stage |
References
- "Lakewood Little Theatre/Beck Center". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. 19 July 1997. Retrieved 22 December 2015.