Cleveland Play House and Cleveland State University Announce Transformational Alliance

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Cleveland Play House (CPH) and Cleveland State University (CSU) are excited to announce they have approved a transformational alliance that will deepen the relationship between America’s first professional regional theatre and Cleveland’s only public urban research university. For more than a century, Cleveland Play House has been the region’s creative gem and a beacon of artistic expression and world-class storytelling. Now, that legacy will be woven more deeply into the CSU student experience, opening new doors for thousands of students to engage in the arts, regardless of their major. 

Beginning immediately and developing over the 2026-27 academic year, this first-of-its -kind national model will build on more than 15 years of collaboration between Cleveland Play House and CSU with the aim of proving how professional theatre and public higher education can work together to help reshape the future of American theatre. It will create new and substantially expanded opportunities for undergraduate students to learn from artists and theatre professionals, while expanding the institutions’ ability to contribute to the cultural and civic life of Northeast Ohio. 

"This new alliance between Cleveland State University and Cleveland Play House, both resident companies of Playhouse Square, is a meaningful step forward as it builds the connections between education, training and professional experience. A thriving arts community depends on a strong pipeline of talent both on stage and behind the scenes, and that begins with creating meaningful opportunities for people to learn, grow and build careers right here in Cleveland,” said Playhouse Square CEO Craig Hassall. “The long-term vitality of our cultural sector depends on investing in the next generation, and partnerships like this are exactly what we need.” 

Through the expanded partnership, Cleveland Play House will gain access to CSU facilities and resources while continuing to operate as an independent professional regional theatre, preserving the artistic mission, programming and identity that have defined CPH for more than a century. 

“In following our strategic vision for Cleveland State University, we are deepening our partnerships with regional organizations as we broaden opportunities for our students to gain valuable career-building experiences,” said Dr. Laura Bloomberg, President of Cleveland State University. “We are proud to announce this transformational alliance with Cleveland Play House, bringing the influence of an historic regional theatre to our students. As CPH enhances its partnership with CSU, we will set a new standard for arts education – across both traditional and non-traditional disciplines — in one of the country’s most thriving theatre districts.” 

As part of this historic collaboration, Rachel L. Fink, Cleveland Play House’s managing director, will take on a newly expanded role as CEO and Managing Director of Cleveland Play House while also serving as Executive-in-Residence at Cleveland State University. In this dual role, she will lead CPH as an independent professional theatre while helping enhance CSU's degree programs and student experiences in the performing arts and other disciplines. 

Fink’s story is a Cleveland story. A proud graduate of Cleveland Heights High School and Case Western Reserve University, her passion for arts access, social justice and inclusive leadership was sparked right here and ignited further through an early internship at CPH. She went on to earn her M.F.A. in Theater Management from the Yale School of Drama (now the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale). Over more than two decades, she has led transformative work in American nonprofit theatre, including founding the Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s School of Theatre, which she ran for 16 years. During her tenure, the School served youth and adult students and launched a professional fellowship program whose alumni have built successful careers on Broadway, off Broadway and in national tours. At CPH, she has driven operational stabilization, expanded community partnerships and reinvigorated the organization’s internal culture. 

“This is an incredibly exciting next chapter for Cleveland Play House,” said Fink. “For more than a century, CPH has helped shape the American theatre, and we now have an opportunity to help shape what comes next. By bringing together the resources of a great public university with the artists and professionals of a great regional theatre, we can give students in all fields of study meaningful avenues to learn directly from professional practice. 

“This is an important opportunity for Cleveland Play House and Cleveland State University, but also for our region,” Fink continued. “Cleveland can be a place where we don’t simply talk about the future of the American theatre. We help build it.” 

Cleveland Play House will also continue its celebrated, longstanding partnership with Case Western Reserve University on the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program, one of the oldest academic theatre programs in the country. Case Western Reserve’s program with CPH allows graduate students to train alongside guest artists, perform on CPH stages and earn their Actors’ Equity membership through professional productions. 

What This Means for CSU Students 
For CSU students, the alliance will create a stronger connection between academic learning and the day-to-day work of professional theatre. Undergraduate students will have new avenues to learn from artists, performers, technicians, producers, marketers and arts administrators — gaining insight into how theatre is imagined, produced, managed and shared with audiences. Opportunities will include the following:  

  • Access to professional artists and practitioners: Performing arts students, as well as students from other disciplines, will have new opportunities to engage with professionals working across the theatre industry.
  • Learning grounded in professional practice: Students will gain greater exposure to the creative and technical work behind performance, production and artistic development.
  • Experience beyond the stage: Students interested in arts administration, marketing, event management and related fields will have opportunities to learn from the professionals responsible for operating a major regional theatre. 


A Season to Celebrate 
Cleveland audiences have plenty to look forward to. CSU’s Theatre and Dance Department recently marked its 15th full year as a resident company at Playhouse Square, with its 2026–27 season featuring productions of "Rent," "The Bacchae," and its Spring Dance Concert. 

Cleveland Play House just unveiled its own dazzling 2026–27 season, featuring "Private Lives," "Annie," "The Da Vinci Code" and "Working: A Musical." 

The CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program will also bring two powerful works to the Helen Theatre stage: Samuel Hunter’s "Pocatello" this fall, and Oscar Wilde’s "Lady Windermere’s Fan" in the spring. 

For more information about this alliance and the upcoming season, go to clevelandplayhouse.com.