Near West Theatre

Near West Theatre (nwt) is an intergenerational community Theatre and founding anchor institution of the gordon square arts district in the detroit shoreway neighborhood in cleveland. Nwt prioritizes accessibility and inclusion in serving marginalized and vulnerable populations. The nwt service model includes productions, programs and events. Theatre productions: each season includes four to five full-scale licensed musical productions in its 275-seat mainstage theater and 80-seat black box theater. Near West Theatre differs from many other community theatres in that productions are designed and directed by professional Theatre artists. The season's shows are also chosen not just for their audience appeal and quality but for the important themes and messages that are included. Nwt productions serve all ages with dedicated productions for specific age groups. Nwt offers a choose-what-you-pay ticketing model to ensure accessibility for low-income residents and families. Educational programming: nwt introduced rise, a free-to-participate after school arts enrichment program in 2017 for area youth ages 8-15. Sessions run in 12- week cycles during the fall and spring semesters with a final culminating production in the spring. Rise focuses on developing both Theatre arts skills as well as social-emotional skills. Nwt provides youth with a safe environment to learn, while improving their ability to succeed in school and with peer relationships through self-management, accountability, and problem solving as a team. Nwt also offers a 4-week summer technical Theatre workshop for area teenagers that introduce them to the basic skills required in theatrical production and other well-paying careers. These skills include carpentry, welding, video, special effects, scenic painting, and design. Nwt delivers workshops and long-term residencies externally in area schools and senior centers contracting with trained teaching artists. Community events: nwt launched the popular historic haunts in october 2021 in partnership with the West clinton block club and has become a signature event now in its third year in 2023. We offer drag queen story hour quarterly teaching acceptance and love while providing safe spaces for lgbtq+ youth and families. Nwt hosts queer prom in partnership with the lgbt center every june, participates in various community programs in partnership with gordon square arts district, and hosts various community groups in our facility throughout the year.