Andrea Simakis & The Cleveland Playhouse

[caption id="attachment_5469" align="alignleft" width="147" caption="Andrea "The Diva" Simakis"][/caption]

Get caught up with Andrea Simakis as she discusses the relocation of The Cleveland Playhouse in her article Relocation to PlayhouseSquare well worth it for Cleveland Play House:

As most therapists will tell you, moving is one of the most stressful events in life, ranking only behind the death of a loved one, divorce or illness.

But if early box office results from the Cleveland Play House are any indication, the pain of pulling up stakes from Euclid Avenue and East 85th Street and relocating three miles down the road to PlayhouseSquare was well worth it for the local company.

Play House numbers crunchers compared the single-ticket sales from the first three shows of the 2010-2011 season, before the move, to the first three productions of the 2011-2012 season in the organization's new artistic home in the Allen Theatre complex.

They found that revenue had more than doubled.

"The Life of Galileo," the inaugural work in the 514-seat Allen Theatre, the musical "Daddy Long Legs" and the world premiere of Ken Ludwig's "The Game's Afoot" rang up a total of $689,486 in single-ticket sales compared with $314,773 during the same period in the old locale.

"Obviously, we thought this was a good idea coming down here, and the community seems to be agreeing with us," said Kevin Moore, the company's managing director.

The gain came without raising ticket prices over last season or adding more seats. Moore said that subscriptions are holding steady and that most of the growth has been in single-ticket sales, particularly from patrons from the west and south sides of town.

In addition to citing the appeal of a newly renovated, $32 million Allen Theatre complex, Moore credits the draw of PlayhouseSquare -- an established downtown theater district with multiple restaurants -- and daring, inventive programming from artistic director Michael Bloom.

Read more at The Cleveland Plain Dealer