The Play House – An Indoor Children’s Playhouse
When a child plays with toys, it gives them the opportunity to process and understand the world around them. Play is also a great way to get children moving, which promotes healthy growth and development. However, sometimes a child can become bored of the same toys over and over again. Having an indoor playhouse in their home can help them stay engaged for hours on end and allow them to explore a whole new world of imagination.
The Playhouse Theatre is a 383-seat proscenium-thrust theatre equipped with a dual level moveable pit and advanced lighting and sound systems. The building is surrounded by offices, classrooms, rehearsal studios, and dressing rooms. Often, the Playhouse is host to a flurry of activity from performance premieres and casting calls to stage setup and lighting run-throughs.
This is especially true when the Playhouse houses a professional production. The playhouse has an ongoing relationship with the Theatre of Witness (TWOW) and its director, Teya Sepinuck. Teya had the idea of training others in her approach to using art as a tool for peacebuilding. She developed a project called the Playhouse Theatre and Peace-building Academy to provide such training.
As a part of the programme, Teya mentored two emerging artists and helped them develop their own Theatre of Witness productions. The academy then expanded to include other arts disciplines such as drama, visual art, music, filmmaking, poetry, and writing. This allowed the academy to build a more mature community of artists that could engage in extended learning and peer mentoring.
In addition to providing a fun, creative environment for local kids, the Playhouse has provided a unique volunteer experience to area business leaders and companies. This year, the Playhouse Project teamed up with Habitat MidOhio to recruit volunteers and corporate sponsors to build a playhouse for a Habitat family. During the build, sponsoring teams of up to 10 people work together to construct the playhouse at the Habitat warehouse or a location of their choice. The team will also have the opportunity to meet and work with a Habitat family who will receive their cottage in June 2023.
Some sponsors even created their own playhouse designs, such as Mattamy Homes with a beach scene on every side of the house and Ryan Companies with a modern-style “cottage” with floor-to-ceiling windows. Others opted for a more whimsical route, such as a faux cafe built by Sam Rodgers Homes complete with a kitchen and seating. The resulting cottages brought smiles and happiness to the families that Habitat will support, further strengthening the partnership between these two organizations.