If you happened to attend any Cleveland Orchestra concerts at Blossom Music Center in the summer of 1969, you would have seen a group of minstrels strolling the grounds, entertaining concertgoers during orchestra intermissions.
It turns out that the roving band of performers was the genesis of what is now Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ State University’s Porthouse Theatre, which is situated on the beautiful grounds of Blossom.
It was an Akron Beacon Journal reader who recently wrote in to ask how the highly venerated local theatre came to exist at Blossom. Akron Beacon Journal Reporter Kerry Clawson , and the fascinating history behind this local performing arts gem.
Founded through a collaboration between Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ State and the Musical Arts Association and made possible by generous gifts from donors including Cyrl and Roberta Porthouse and Gerald and Victoria Read, the theatre became an integral part of the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥/Blossom Arts initiative. Over the decades, Porthouse has produced more than 3,000 performances, entertaining nearly 400,000 patrons.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal article, Porthouse Theatre's first shows in 1970 were held on the grounds of Blossom Music Center in a tent in the parking lot near the theatre's construction site. The audience sat in folding chairs to watch productions of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and "Golden Boy."