Hanna Theatre

Cleveland’s nationally recognized Hanna Theatre is celebrated for its show-stopping performances and grand decor. The spirits inside the historic theatre light up Playhouse Square every night as they act among the living. Paranormal professional and amateur investigators have labeled The Hanna Theatre as the most haunted theatre in Cleveland since its reopening in 2008. 

Experience it firsthand with a ghost tour with US Ghost Adventures! Our knowledgeable and experienced tour guides are the best in Cleveland. 

Quick Facts: 

• The Hanna Theatre was built in 1921 and closed in 1988. It reopened as the home of the Great Lakes Theatre Festival in 2008. 
• Renovation of the theatre cost $14.7 million and was spearheaded by the Great Lakes Theatre.
• Celebrities Harry Houdini, Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn, and many more have performed here. 
• The Hanna Theatre was one of 12 theatres across the US to screen the Disney film Fantasia.

Cleveland’s most haunted theatre has decades of magic built into it, and the spirits that reside here are a lively bunch, animated as much as their living co-stars. 

Let’s look into the dazzling lights and sounds of Cleveland’s answer to Broadway and let the drama unfold. 

The Hanna Theatre In Playhouse Square

The Hanna Theatre was one of five theatres constructed for Cleveland’s premier entertainment district, Playhouse Square. In 19 months, these five theatres rose out of Cleveland’s thriving post-war economy and soon rivaled the bright lights of Broadway. 

Anything from vaudeville, opera, theatre performances, and the latest motion pictures were brought to the public in Playhouse Square. 

On March 28th, 1921, the Hanna Theatre opened to the general public. Its first performance was Mark Twain’s classic The Prince and The Pauper. Only The Keybank State and The Mimi Ohio Theatre came before it, making it one of the oldest active theatres in Cleveland! 

The Downfall and Revival of Playhouse Square

Playhouse Square became a thriving epi-center of nightlife in Cleveland and the largest entertainment district outside New York! But by 1968-69, all five of the major theaters except the Hanna had shuttered, struggling to compete with the onset of television and white flight out of metropolitan areas. 

The Hanna’s doors remained open until 1988/89, when the Italian Renaissance theatre finally put on its final performance. The abandoned theatre remained starkly barren for the next ten years, reopening in 1997. 

In 2008, the neighboring Great Lakes Theatre purchased the old building, and it underwent a full $14.7 million renovation. It is now the home of the Great Lakes Theatre Festival and continues to serve the people of Cleveland with great entertainment. 

Playhouse Square is fully resurrected, its former glory restored through a series of renovation projects and great entertainment. Nearly 1 million people visit the district per year, producing $359 million in revenue. 

Not everyone comes just for the good times and world-class entertainment, however. Haunted by multiple spirits, the Hanna Theatre is a reputable spot for paranormal investigations and one of Cleveland’s most haunted!