Huron in Erie County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Huron Playhouse

Photographed By J. J. Prats, August 6, 2019

1. The Huron Playhouse Marker

Inscription. Ohio’s oldest continuing summer theatre, the Huron Playhouse, has been housed at McCormick Middle School for its entire history. Dr. Frederick G. Walsh (1915-1999) of the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Speech Department founded the theatre in 1949. Huron met Walsh’s expectations for an attractive site for the playhouse, and Huron Schools Superintendent R.L. McCormick (1904 1978) offered the use of this school. The curtain opened on the first Huron Playhouse production, Norman Krasna’s hit Broadway comedy John Loves Mary, on June 29, 1949. With persisting support from BGSU, actors and alumni, and the local community, the acclaimed Playhouse has provided theatrical experience for thousands of students and entertainment for generations of Huron residents.

Erected 2001 by Huron Playhouse Alumni, Huron City Schools, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 16-22.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the Ohio Historical Society / The Ohio History Connection series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 29, 1949.

Location. 41° 23.714′ N, 82° 33.514′ W. Marker is in Huron

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, Ohio, in Erie County. Marker is on Ohio Street south of Cleveland Road West, on the right when traveling south. At the McCormick Junior High School. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 325 Ohio St, Huron OH 44839, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. World War II (a few steps from this marker); The War of 1812 (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Wright House and the Underground Railroad/Old Main Street (approx. ¼ mile away); The Legacy of the Huron Docks (approx. ¼ mile away); Christ Episcopal Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Huron / Erie County (approx. 0.3 miles away); John Baptiste Flemmond (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named The Legacy of the Huron Docks (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Huron.

Regarding The Huron Playhouse. Ohio’s oldest continuing summer theatre is no more. The Huron Playhouse had a 67 season run, starting in 1949. It’s last season was the summer of 2016.

Also see . . .
1. Huron Playhouse Records, BGSU Libraries. Excerpt:

The Huron Playhouse used the McCormick middle school as part Broadway theatre, part scenery shop, part costume shop, and part dormitory to house students. Every year, the playhouse produced up to seven shows one per week, from musicals, mysteries, and even original
Photographed By J. J. Prats, August 6, 2019

2. The Huron Playhouse Marker
plays. The student participants were mostly BGSU students but the playhouse attracted young thespians from across the country. The students received housing and a stipend for their work, and the communal housing created a family atmosphere that alumni have never forgotten.

(Submitted on October 25, 2019.)

2. Huron Playhouse to Shut Down. 2018 article by Tom Jackson in the Sandusky Register. Excerpt:

The decision to close “was definitely not our intention,” board president Jim Chapple said. “It was a very difficult decision.” Huron Playhouse’s model required it to bring it dozens of actors every summer and cover the cost of housing them and feeding them, and that’s a difficult expense, he said. When Bowling Green State University ended its support in 2010, the Huron Playhouse became a nonprofit and sought grants and contributions to supplement its ticket sales, which aren’t enough to keep the operation going, Chapple said.

(Submitted on October 25, 2019.)

McCormick Junior High School, Home of the Huron Playhouse, and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, August 6, 2019

3. McCormick Junior High School, Home of the Huron Playhouse, and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 236 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on June 2, 2023, by Grant & Mary Ann Fish of Galloway, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 25, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.