Parma Heights officials want to turn a patch of uneven ground behind Cassidy Theatre into a proper outdoor gathering spot, complete with a small amphitheater-style pavilion for weddings, graduation parties and pre-show entertainment. The city has applied for a $150,000 Ohio Department of Natural Resources NatureWorks grant to help cover the estimated $200,000 project, which would level out the terrain on the east side of the theater and replace an existing patio described as having multiple layers and step-downs.
The idea came from Mike Sedlak earlier this year, according to Cleveland.com, which reported that Sedlak said the venue could host family entertainment or small, intimate gatherings with a band. The project calls for a patio, a smaller pavilion and landscaping, transforming the space behind the theater into what the city is describing as an outdoor entertainment venue. The pavilion itself would use a shed-style design, angled lower in the back and higher in the front, giving it the look of a small-scale amphitheater.
A Grant Application With a Long Runway
Parma Heights is still exploring different design options for the space, per the same report. Even if the grant comes through, there's a waiting game ahead: the NatureWorks program requires cities to front the full cost of a project and then seek reimbursement, rather than receiving funds upfront. That reimbursement structure, paired with a mandatory 25% local match, stems from the original 1993 voter-approved bond issue that created the grant program, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Applications for this round of NatureWorks funding, the program's 32nd, closed on July 15, and the state isn't expected to announce award recommendations until November. If Parma Heights lands the $150,000 award, construction on the patio project could begin in 2027, the outlet reported. Mayor Marie Gallo called the project another great addition to the Greenbrier Commons area, per Cleveland.com's report.
Cassidy Theatre's Long History in Greenbrier Commons
Cassidy Theatre has anchored Greenbrier Commons since 1974, when it was founded by former Parma Heights Mayor Paul Cassidy, according to the Parma Observer. It operates today as a non-profit community theater inside a city-owned building. The surrounding park complex itself dates back even further, tracing its roots to a $1.3 million municipal bond issue that Parma Heights voters approved in 1972 to consolidate the city's sports, civic and cultural facilities in one place, according to records filed with GovInfo.
City officials see the proposed patio as a way to enhance the theater experience and give residents a welcoming space to gather and celebrate the arts, aiming to create a venue capable of hosting mid-size events like small weddings and graduation parties, according to Cleveland.com's reporting. The plan fits into a broader wave of capital investment reshaping the park in recent years.
Part of a Broader Greenbrier Commons Makeover
Greenbrier Commons has seen a string of upgrades lately. In April, the Cuyahoga County Public Library opened a new 21,000-square-foot, $11.5 million branch directly next to Cassidy Theatre, replacing a 1963-era building on the same site, as Hoodline previously reported. That new branch has driven noticeably more foot traffic to the immediate area around the theater.
The park's playground also got a state-funded overhaul, with the upgraded amenity officially opening to the public in June after Parma Heights received state funds in 2025 to cover the work. And earlier this month, Parma Heights and neighboring Parma jointly opened the Reservoir Paw Park, capping a 14-year community push for a shared off-leash dog facility, a project Hoodline covered in its December 2025 look at ODNR's statewide grants. That same report noted the state distributed more than $2.9 million in NatureWorks funding across 76 local park projects in 64 Ohio counties last December, underscoring how competitive the grant pool can be for cities like Parma Heights.
Mayor Gallo, who took office in January 2022 as the first woman to lead Parma Heights, has also taken on a regional role since being sworn in last year to a three-year term on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Board of Trustees, according to RTA officials. Before becoming mayor, she spent more than a decade on city council, including four terms as council president, per the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission. For now, the Cassidy Theatre patio remains a proposal awaiting a state funding decision this November, with construction potentially starting the following year if the money comes through.
