Most people associate Playhouse Square as Cleveland’s premier theater district—one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States, bringing Broadway productions to the region to satisfy the largest group of season ticket holders in the country, and producing quality theater and programming.

The district is also home to the The City Club of Cleveland, Cleveland Ballet, Cleveland International Film Festival, Cleveland Play House, Cleveland State University Department of Theatre and Dance, DANCECleveland, Great Lakes Theater, and Tri-C JazzFest.

The Broadway shows and local arts companies are an integral part of Playhouse Square’s draw and success. However, the arts institution places equal importance on exposing Northeast Ohio’s young people to the theater, dance, and drama through its education department.

Established in 1998, Playhouse Square’s education department includes programs like Sensory-Friendly Programming, the Children’s Theater Series, Broadway Buzz, and school field trips.

“These programs really have a true impact on kids' lives," says Daniel Hahn, Playhouse Square vice president of community engagement and education. “When people think of Playhouse Square, it's natural to think of Broadway. But they might not always think of a Cleveland Public Schools child walking into [the theater] for the first time.”

Euclid High School students perform a song from "In the Heights" at the 2018 Dazzle Awards.The Master Classes run throughout the school year. Student actors participate with Broadway performers from touring shows and receive technical theater training. Technical apprentices work backstage alongside the production staff, and musical apprentices play side-by-side with professional musicians in the pit. Student reporters conduct interviews with nominees on the red carpet and are the first to speak with the Dazzle Awards winners backstage.

Each program this year is celebrating its 10th year of bringing performing arts to Northeast Ohio students.

The Broadway shows and local arts companies are an integral part of Playhouse Square’s draw and success. However, the arts institution places equal importance on exposing Northeast Ohio’s young people to the theater, dance, and drama through its education department.

The Awards have evolved into a comprehensive educational initiative that honors arts education and celebrates excellence in high school musical theater while providing learning opportunities throughout the year.

The crowning moment of the year is the awards ceremony each May—recognizing students for their work and achievements, as well as noting potential career opportunities in the industry.

The experience is quite different than the high school plays Hahn remembers from when he was a student and theater kid.

“When I was in high school, we would rehearse a show for weeks, perform it for one weekend, and that was it,” recalls Hahn. “Now these students have kids from other musicals coming to see their shows, they're going to see other student shows, they're making friends, they're in Master Classes together.”

The Best Actor and Best Actress winners from the Dazzle Awards go on to represent Playhouse Square and Northeast Ohio at The National High School Musical Theatre Awards (NHSMTA), known familiarly as The Jimmy Awards.

The winning participants have the opportunity to be in a theater intensive that includes coaching and rehearsals with Broadway professionals for a one-night-only talent showcase.

The Dazzle Awards extend far beyond just the one big celebratory night in May, though. Participants are treated to a year-long immersive experience.The Master Classes run throughout the school year. Student actors participate with Broadway performers from touring shows and receive technical theater training. Technical apprentices work backstage alongside the production staff, and musical apprentices play side-by-side with professional musicians in the pit. Student reporters conduct interviews with nominees on the red carpet and are the first to speak with the Dazzle Awards winners backstage.

The Dazzle Awards’ success stories are numerous. Hahn says three participants from the inaugural 2016 class are currently making their Broadway debuts, including Colin Trudell, who changed his college plans after being nominated for Best Actor at the Dazzle Awards. He's now performing on Broadway in “Floyd Collins” at the Lincoln Center Theater.

Fellow alumni Steven Huynh is in the “Maybe Happy Ending” cast and musician Sophie Manoloff is playing trumpet in "Gypsy" with Audra McDonald.

Students take a bow at the 2016 Dazzle Awards.While winning a Dazzle Award is prestigious, Hahn emphasizes that the program's primary focus is educational. He says with only seven nominations per category, the odds of winning are slim.

“We try to make this program so that it's nice to get a nomination, it's nice to win a trophy, but it's just not likely to happen,” Hahn explains. “So we try to make it educational all year long.”

The impact reaches beyond performers. Hahn recalls an instance of one year when a shy student who worked in her school's costume shop got her own recognition.

“The teacher told me that all day long these kids would come up to this girl at her locker and thank her, [saying] 'Thanks for getting us a Dazzle nomination; thanks for your work.’ This shy student who never would have gotten attention like that.”

The 10th Anniversary Dazzle Awards are scheduled for Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the KeyBank State Theatre. Tickets are $25.

Organizers are planning special celebrations, including what Hahn promises will be "a spectacular opening number unlike anything we've ever done before."

Starting early
While the Dazzle Awards celebrates the theatrical achievements of high school students, Disney Musicals in Schools is also celebrating a decade of creating sustainable musical theater programs in underserved elementary schools in Cuyahoga, Lake, and Lorain Counties.

In its 10 years, more than 1,000 area elementary school students have participated in the Disney in School program in 31 schools. The program particularly impacts on schools that would not otherwise offer theater opportunities.

The initiative, supported by Disney Theatrical Group, sends teaching artists to elementary schools to train teachers in creating sustainable musical theater programs for third through fifth graders.

Old Brooklyn students perform Aladdin KIDS as a part of Disney Musicals in Schools.As a part of the program, first-year schools receive performance rights, educational support materials and guidance from local, professional teaching artists—all at no cost to them. The teaching artists work with the classroom educators, training them to produce a musical and to create a sustainable theater program in their schools.

Each year, four new schools receive intensive support to mount a Disney Kids Musical—30-minute versions of shows the school’s choice of “101 Dalmatians,” “Aladdin,” “The Aristocats,” “Finding Nemo,” “Frozen,” “The Jungle Book,” “The Lion King,” or “Winnie the Pooh.”

In the last decade, "The Lion King" and "Aladdin" have been the most popular choices. The 2024-25 schools were Clara E. Westropp School of the Arts, Constellation Schools: Westside Community School of the Arts, and Marion-Sterling School in Cleveland, and Lomond Elementary School in Shaker Heights.

“From seeing the excitement of our first-year schools on opening night to the passion of our returning schools as they continue to cultivate their programs, Disney Musicals in Schools not only impacts the students and their educators, but their entire communities,” says Hahn.

In addition to performing at their schools, students at first-year participating schools have the unique opportunity to take center stage at Playhouse Square’s Mimi Ohio Theatre in early March as a part of the Student Share Celebration. At this private event, each new participating school performs selections for an audience of fellow students, family members and school community.

The results extend beyond the stage. Teachers report improved attendance, better behavior, and stronger academic performance as students work to maintain their eligibility for the program.

"You see these little kids in their costumes marching through these beautiful Playhouse Square lobbies," Hahn says. "This one little boy I remember one time was like, 'I've never performed at Playhouse Square before.'"

As “Dazzle” and “Disney” mark their tenth year, Playhouse Square continues to expand its reach. The Disney program has spread to multiple counties, while the Dazzle Awards plans a spectacular anniversary celebration for its May 17 ceremony.

"When people think of Playhouse Square, it's natural to think of Broadway," Hahn notes. "But they might not always think of a Cleveland public school child walking in that building for the first time, or a student in a high school who's sewing a costume in a back room somewhere whose life is going to be changed, or someone who's practicing their scales on a horn or building a set."