The mission of Great Lakes Theater Festival is to bring the pleasure, power and relevance of classic theater to the widest possible audience in northern Ohio.

Since the company’s inception in 1962, programming has been rooted in Shakespeare, but the Festival’s commitment to great plays spans the breadth of all cultures, forms of theater and time periods including the 20th century, and provides for the occasional mounting of new works that compliment the classical repertoire.

Classic theater holds the capacity to illuminate truth and enduring values, celebrate and challenge human nature and actions, revel in eloquent language, preserve the traditions of diverse cultures and generate communal spirit. On its mainstage and through its education program, the Festival seeks to create visceral, immediate experiences for participants, asserting theater’s historic role as a vehicle for advancing the common good, and helping people make the most joyful and meaningful connections between classic plays and their own lives. This Cleveland theater company wishes to share such vibrant experiences with people across all age groups, creeds, racial and ethnic groups and socioeconomic backgrounds.

The Festival is dedicated to the highest standards in all areas of its operation, including theater production, education and outreach, management and governance, and to creative problem solving and innovation.