The Local Scene: Akron Civic Theater
November 25th, 2017 my daughter was introduced to the wonderful world of theater, I took her to see the Ballet Theater of Ohio's 25th anniversary of The Nutcracker at the historic Akron Civic Theater in Akron Ohio. My photos are limited since I was busy enjoying the experience with my beautiful daughter.
The Akron Civic Theater was built in 1929 and was built by Marcus Loew and designed by the famous architect John Eberson, he designed theaters from 1905-1950. The design is a quirky mix of medieval and Moroccan, it surprisingly meshes well together and gives the theater a timeless classic feel that transports you to a magical faraway land.
Stationed next to Lock 3 in downtown Akron sits the historic Akron Civic. From the outside the building might not look like much, it doesn't seem to fit in to surrounding area, but once you go walk through the second set of doors of the building you will be transported into the past. In the lobby, you will find concession to the left side as soon as you walk in, a few merchandise vendors, and a grand staircase smack dab in the middle of the lobby.
Behind the staircase is where you will find the doors to the lower level seats and to the right side of the hallway you can find the bathrooms and elevator. If you go up the staircase you can find the steps to balcony seats. Up there you can also find more merchandise from what I saw. They did have a room decorated all festive and had $8 pictures with the one and only Santa Claus!
We were shown to our seats and we were given a booster seat for Val. Val looked around in awe as she took in the fantasy-like design of the stage and the ceiling that resembled a deep blue sky with twinkling bright stars.
While we waited for the ballet to start an organ ascended from below the stage and began playing enchanting holiday music. The organ descended and the ballet began.
The Nutcracker was about two hours long with a 20-minute intermission. The set design, costumes, and overall dancing were absolutely stunning! I've been going for 22 years to watch the production and every year it feels like a whole new experience. My three year old loved The Nutcracker so much that she wants to pursue ballet and attend the May ballet production of The Little Mermaid. You can bet that every year we will return to watch The Nutcracker!
