HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
+ 3 further entries on record
Once the largest community theatre in the United States, the Youngstown Playhouse has collected ghost accounts for more than 80 years — shadow figures in the balcony, a face in the light booth, a spirit that allegedly followed a security guard home
600 Playhouse Lane, Youngstown, OH 44511
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Season productions require tickets; prices vary by show. Flex pass available for the season. Box office hours Monday–Friday 10am–5pm.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Modern two-theatre building on ground level with accessible seating
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1959 · Once the largest community theatre in the United States · Over 100 years of continuous community theatre programming · Training ground for professional actors under WWII-era Broadway director Arthur Sircom · Elizabeth Hartman developed her acting career here
Several local drama organizations merged on February 16, 1924 to form the Youngstown Players. The group operated initially from a renovated 19th-century barn. In 1940, supporters raised $30,000 to convert a vacant movie theater, and the renamed Youngstown Playhouse opened at that location with a production of Camille of Roaring Camp in 1942.
During World War II, Broadway director Arthur Sircom led the organization, using it as a training ground for professional actors. Elizabeth Hartman, who went on to a film career, was among those who developed their craft here.
In 1959, the organization relocated to a new two-theatre building on Glenwood Avenue — the current location at 600 Playhouse Lane. At its height, this community theatre was recognized as the largest of its kind in the United States. Today it operates a full season of productions and has celebrated more than 100 years of continuous performance in Youngstown, making it one of the longest-running community theatres in the country.
The box office operates from the DeYor Performing Arts Center at 260 W. Federal Street, Youngstown.
Sources
The paranormal reputation of the Youngstown Playhouse has built over the entire lifespan of the current building. Staff and performers describe an overall sense of unease when entering certain sections of the theatre — not a single dramatic incident but an accumulated weight of reported experiences over eight decades.
The most-cited accounts involve a shadow figure that has been observed sitting in the balcony during rehearsals and performances, visible from the stage and from audience seating. A second recurring report involves a half-seen face appearing in the light booth — a figure that appears when the booth is dark and empty, briefly visible before resolving into nothing. Witnesses also describe a white entity that appears to slide through a closed door, cold spots throughout the building, and episodes of unexplained whispering and ghostly music.
A former security guard provided one of the more specific accounts: he reported an overwhelming sensation of being watched during his rounds, and came to believe that a presence from the playhouse had followed him to his car, sensing what he described as knees pressed against the back of his seat on the drive home.
No identity has been attached to any of the reported entities, and no formal paranormal investigation has published findings on this site beyond the PANICd database entry documenting witness reports.
The Youngstown Playhouse presents a full season of musicals, comedies, and dramas. Recent and upcoming productions include Dear Evan Hansen, In the Heights, and The Wizard of Oz. The 2025/2026 season marks more than 100 years of continuous programming.
The building itself — with its two-theatre layout built in 1959 on Glenwood Avenue — is the site of more than 80 years of accumulated ghost reports. The balcony, light booth, and backstage areas are the most-cited locations for anomalous experiences reported by staff, actors, and audience members.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Bowling Green, OH
The Brown Theater and adjacent Eva Marie Saint Theatre are the primary performance spaces for Bowling Green State University's Department of Theatre and Film, named in part for BGSU alumna and Academy Award-winning actress Eva Marie Saint. The theaters have hosted student and professional productions for decades and carry a persistent ghost tradition surrounding a former student actress called Alice.
Jonesboro, AR
Built in 1926 as the Strand Theatre, the Forum Theatre has operated as a downtown Jonesboro performance venue for nearly a century. The Foundation of Arts, a non-profit arts organization, has managed it for decades and continues to produce community theater and musical productions.
Tuscaloosa, AL
Rowand-Johnson Hall houses the University of Alabama's Department of Theatre and Dance and contains the Marian Gallaway Theatre, named for the professor who built the department from 1948 until her retirement in 1973.