Where we create

The Balch Street Theatre

220 S. Balch St, Akron, OH 44302

Built in 1929, the Akron Jewish Center was designed by the local architectural firm of Fichter & Brooker. In the nearly forty-five years that it was headquartered in this building, the Akron Jewish Center contributed greatly not only to the city’s Jewish community, but also to the citizenry at large through it many varied cultural, educational, social, recreational, and athletic services. It is rendered in a free Romanesque Revival style with strong Byzantine influences in its detailing. Since the Jewish Center moved out, the building housed a Baptist Church, was used for Head Start programs for Akron Public Schools, and is now the proud home of the Center for Applied Theatre and Active Culture.

Site-Specific

Some of our performances are site-specific whether it's a scene featured in a festival or a performance in a park. We want  community-based theatre to be as accessible as possible.

Some events we've performed for include  BCAA Annual Festival, Open Streets Akron, Envision Akron, Global Village Festival, Ingenuity Fest in Cleveland, Summit StageFest, VIBE Collective, Reimagining the Civic Commons Conference, Stark County's English as Second Language Teachers, Akron Art Museum, and the Electric Pressure Cooker.