Idea Center's Performance and Production Studio to Be Named "Westfield Insurance Studio Theatre"

Cleveland, OH - Westfield Insurance has made a commitment of $3 million to the Campaign for the Idea Center at Playhouse Square. This is the largest single commitment to the campaign to date. In recognition of this gift, WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN ideastream and Playhouse Square Foundation will name the Idea Center's 300-seat performance and production studio "Westfield Insurance Studio Theatre."

"We are excited to support this innovative project and establish a presence within the Idea Center," stated Robert J. Joyce, chairman and CEO of Westfield Group. "Westfield believes in creating opportunities for education and learning, and that is exactly what ideastream and Playhouse Square Foundation are doing in this new resource for our community. Children and teachers have access to new programs, technology, and performances - all necessary for rich learning experiences."

"This is a remarkable endorsement from one of the area's most respected companies," Jerry Wareham, president and CEO of WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN ideastream said. "It is a significant commitment to the arts, education, and public broadcasting that will deliver long lasting positive outcomes for this community."

"We could not be more grateful for this very generous gift from Westfield Insurance ," noted Art J. Falco, Playhouse Square Foundation president and CEO, "and we appreciate their belief in the project, in the partnership between Playhouse Square Foundation and ideastream and in the impact that the programming offered at the Idea Center will have on Northeast Ohio and beyond."

The Westfield Insurance Studio Theatre will be used for television and radio production, theater performances, meetings, workshops and classes. Upcoming events include performing arts classes offered by the Playhouse Square Foundation Arts Education Department and, in early November, performances of Desert Travels: Tales from the Middle East. WVIZ and WCPN programs that will be produced and presented from the theater, include special broadcasts involving studio audiences (like a recent Around Noon radio program featuring Franz Welser-Most of the Cleveland Orchestra), and the education services special series What's Your (Math) Problem: A game show where sixth grade students from the Cleveland municipal schools compete and have fun while improving their math skills.

The Idea Center has become a vibrant center of activity including the broadcast operations and education services of 90.3WCPN and WVIZ/PBS ideastream and Playhouse Square Foundation arts education programs. The facility is a model of creative connectivity where digital media (radio, television and the internet) is used to create and distribute content, including news, information, educational services, and arts and cultural programming.

Westfield is a leading insurance, banking and related financial services group of businesses. The company, founded in 1848, is headquartered in Westfield Center, Ohio and is the largest employer in Medina County. Westfield Insurance offers dependable protection for autos, homes and businesses through a network of over 1,200 leading independent insurance agencies. Banking services are provided through Westfield Bank. Westfield's success is based on a commitment to sharing knowledge, building trust, ethical conduct, financial integrity and respect for people.

ideastream is a multiple-media public service organization with a mission to strengthen our communities by providing distinctive, thought-provoking programs and services that enlighten, inspire, educate and entertain. The organization was formed by the merger of public broadcasting stations WVIZ/PBS and 90.3 WCPN in July of 2001. The organization operates public television and radio stations in Cleveland with an audience of some 2.8 million viewers and listeners, an Educational Service group serving schools with nearly one half million students and manages the Ohio Public Television and Radio Statehouse News Bureau and Ohio Government Telecommunications in Columbus.

Playhouse Square Foundation
Playhouse Square Foundation is the 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit, which restored and operates Playhouse Square Center, the nation's second largest performing arts center. The Foundation's mission is presenting and producing a wide variety of quality performing arts, advancing arts education and creating a theater district that is a superior location for entertainment, business and housing, thereby strengthening the economic vitality of the region.

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