Cleveland Public Theatre is celebrating Raymond Bobgan's 20th year at the helm with something a little louder than a sheet cake: a $12 million renovation of its Gordon Square campus. Crews are gearing up to refresh storefronts, stitch together the theater's patchwork of lobbies into one accessible entrance, and turn the neighboring St. Mary's Orthodox Church into new rehearsal and performance space. Bobgan, who took over in 2006, has guided CPT from shaky financial footing to a nationally recognized hub for new plays and community programs.
The $12 million capital campaign snapped into high gear after a run of big gifts and public backing. The theater secured a $4 million matching commitment from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, building on an earlier $6 million bequest and $500,000 in state funding. The Mandel money is structured as a challenge grant, unlocking as CPT raises matching dollars and putting extra wind behind the fundraising push, according to Ideastream Public Media.
Construction timeline and campus changes
Right now, crews are staging equipment in the theater's parking lot while permits and final designs move through review. Major construction is set to kick off in spring 2026, with much of the main campus targeted for completion before Labor Day. On the outside, plans include a new blade sign, a programmable marquee and transparent LED window displays. Inside, the work will add multiple first-floor, wheelchair-accessible restrooms and create a single, consolidated entrance for the entire complex, according to Signal Cleveland.
Church conversion and accessibility
One of the most dramatic changes is slated for the early 20th century St. Mary's Orthodox Church next door. CPT bought the brick building nearly two decades ago, but it still lacks on-site restrooms and ADA-compliant access, which has limited how fully it can be used. The conversion into rehearsal and classroom space is expected to come in a later phase, with a targeted completion date of Nov. 1, 2026, as reported by Cleveland.com.
Bobgan onstage and choose-what-you-pay tickets
Renovation prep or not, the show is still very much going on. CPT is rolling out new work while the campus readies for construction, including Raymond Bobgan performing in the world-premiere Into the Heart of One Star, which the theater lists as running March 25 to April 11 at the Gordon Square Theatre. Tickets are offered on a "choose what you pay" basis from $1 to $80 through the Cleveland Public Theatre website, where performance dates and box office policies are posted.
Two decades of new plays and neighborhood impact
Since Bobgan took charge in 2006, CPT has expanded its education programs and new-play development while helping anchor the Gordon Square Arts District. The company has nurtured artists who went on to broader recognition, producing Jen Silverman's Akarui and supporting the development of India Nicole Burton's Panther Women. It has also launched resident ensembles such as Teatro Público de Cleveland and Masrah Cleveland Al-Arabi. For more background on the capital campaign and recent funding, see coverage from Cleveland.com, and for details on past productions, see listings on TheaterMania.
What this means for Gordon Square
Organizers say the overhaul is designed to make CPT more welcoming to students, artists and audiences while giving the theater more room to grow free youth programming and education, priorities Bobgan has underscored as fundraising has progressed. The renovation is also being framed as a broader neighborhood investment, one that could boost visibility and foot traffic for the entire Gordon Square Arts District, according to Ideastream Public Media.
