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DonateOur next to last installment of "Intermission" spotlights our extraordinary venue - the Hanna Theatre. Great Lakes Theater has had a few addresses over the years. However, our current home was re-imagined in 2008 to create the uniquely intimate experience that you know today. We are thrilled to shine a light on our Hanna home virtually until we can get back there and experience it first-hand again!
Take a look at a brief pictorial history of the Hanna Theatre and learn why our artists and audiences love this venue so much.
"One of the best things about performing in the Hanna is how close you feel to the audience. It’s a very intimate space and when you’re up on stage it’s easy to feel connected to who is out there. It’s a very special place for that reason."
Jodi Dominick, Actor
"...[the] Hanna is a first-rate performance space with terrific sightlines, comfortable seats and technical gizmos like the hydraulic lift that can raise or lower all or part of the thrust stage to create a wide range of dramatic effects."
Steven Litt, Plain Dealer
“...the Hanna is compact enough to make playing to every seat a targeted and meaningful experience. As a result, I felt as though the technical aspects of performing in the space never detracted from my ability to have fun telling the story; almost to say the space takes care of itself in a way, and made my job all the easier as a performer...I sincerely can’t wait to safely rekindle the spark of community that makes this theatre so incredibly special.”
Taha Mandviwala, Actor
"As multi-year subscribers, we love the venue. Cannot think of a better place to see quality theater." David, Subscriber
"The theater is a safe haven where we can all come together and experience the same heartbeat at the same time. I suspect the Hanna was designed to be especially great at offering us this space. The thrust, combined with the architecture of the house, makes it seem as if the entire theatre is shaped to resemble open arms, welcoming every aspect of the show in the same collective space. As an actor, working on that stage is a gift. Being on the same stage as so many magnificent artists has been a humbling experience. Each step sounds like an invitation to bring yourself to that space as fully as possible. A particularly emotional scene staged on the downstage edge of the thrust can be a terribly vulnerable experience but the Hanna patrons always seem to meet us right there, in that moment. So needless to say, I'm looking forward to that trademark 'Hanna Hug' whenever we can all come together again."
Nick Steen, Actor
"I love the small theater environment. Not a bad seat in the place."
Billie, Patron
We may be biased, but believe us when we say there is no bad seat at the Hanna! Experience productions as you never have before in our unique, intimate theater space.
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