Terry Bojanowski's Commentary:

ENTERTAINMENT ORIGINALS was created in 1985 to produce the musicals of Darryl Bojanowski (Dramatists Guild, BMI),Terry's husband, at shopping malls throughout the United States. After performing Terry's Musical Revues and Darryl's Musicals in 26 states for five years, their hometown mall, NewMarket Mall, Columbus, Ohio, called to ask if Entertainment Originals would produce a Family Theatre series for the summer of 1991. NewMarket had lost a lot of tenants due to a new mega-mall opening in the area, and they hoped that musical theatre might bring back some traffic and tenants would want to return. It worked!

In 1991 Entertainment Originals created a summer series of six mall musicals - each one expanded from the touring repertoire - and one new Bojanowski musical, "Hansel & Gretel" as the NEWMARKET SUMMER CHILDREN'S THEATRE.

Due to the success of the first summer, NewMarket Mall asked Entertainment Originals to continue producing musicals in 1992 as the NEWMARKET FAMILY THEATRE and, for the next four years, a total of thirty-nine Bojanowski original musicals, five Off-Broadway musicals, and one musical by another writer were produced - several of them more than once: ALL MUSICALS, ALL YEAR! Darryl was the Artistic Director and Writer for the theatre. Without spending a cent on marketing and with no social media at the time, almost 20,000 patrons a year saw these musicals at NewMarket Mall.

In the summer of 1993 the theatre name was changed to FAMILY THEATRE PLAYHOUSE at NewMarket Mall. After the spring and summer seasons of 1994, Full-Length productions - The ACT 2 Series - was added, some of which were served as Dinner Theatre. The FAMILY THEATRE Series continued, interspersed with the ACT 2 musicals, and the name was changed to A PREMIERE PLAYHOUSE since almost all of the shows were new musicals.

A PREMIERE PLAYHOUSE created a YOUNG ACTOR INTERNSHIP PROGRAM for children ages 7-14 who auditioned to appear on stage with the adult actors. Several of them now have theatre degrees and professional credits: Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours and Regional Theatres

The Playhouse premiered READING RAINBOW, LIVE! and also produced Off-Broadway musicals, "By Strouse," "Jerry's Girls," "Dames At Sea," "Song of Singapore," and "Ruthless: The Musical"

After all except the theatre space was filled by paying tenants, the mall gave notice to the Playhouse that they would have to leave in the fall of 1996. A Premiere Playhouse closed its curtains.

Terry and Darryl Bojanowski resumed their music teaching careers and retired in 2020. They are now licensing each of Darryl's musicals that were produced at the Playhouse which include new orchestrations and an innovative Production Pack for theatres everywhere. Their contact is: www.LicenSINGMusicals.com.

Thank you for creating this online history of malls that shaped our creative careers and the careers of many who performed with us!

Brian Penzone’s Commentary:

I've taken some pictures of New Market Mall in Dublin Ohio, as well as some before and after pictures of Westland Mall in Columbus, Ohio. They are at the following link:

http://home.columbus.rr.com/irobot/exploration.html

I live close enough to both of these places that i can get more pictures if needed. It would be ideal if I could find pictures of Westland Mall from the 1980s.


Thanks,

Brian Penzone

Heather Metzger’s Commentary:

I used to go to this "mall" all of the time for the Media Play and the CompUSA. Now I only go near the mall because of the fast food places out front. The mall has really been just dead for years. At one time there were just a bunch of national chains and a handful of local stores in this tiny anchorless mall. There was once a Clarie's, a GNC and a Saturday's hair salon within the mall along with the CompUSA and Media Play. There was a place called Classic Tuxedo which left in around October 2004 and moved down Sawmill road near a bridal shop. I remember the train that used to be in the center of the mall at Christmas along with Santa. My mom would take me there when she needed to get a few last minute gifts otherwise we would shop at Northland another dead mall in Columbus. In 1999 Media Play reorganize
d their store sealing off the entrance to the mall. If you knew where to look you could easily see the newer plaster because they never did do a good job of covering that area in a seemless continuity of shelfing. I think that they knew the plaster wouldn't hold. There was never an entrance to the mall at CompUSA. California fitness took over most of the mall in 2004 and then Media Play closed. It took a couple of years but now CompUSA is gone and Lifetime family fitness now occupys the old Media Play and is planning to extend into the old mall with more equipment and a pool. The old Classic Tuxedo and an old hair salon at the front of the mall to the left of the old main entrance has been renovated into a Golfsmith store. It looks detacthed from the mall. It looks out of place almost. The Marathon station, the Taco Bell, McDonald's and Wendy's in front of the mall have become the only things left on that corner along with the Olive Garden. The parking
lot was once used to hold extra cars for the dealerships behind and across from the mall. It was very sad, still is. I hope that one day someone can do something with that very tiny mall that is becoming an eyesore.

Tony Tertuliani’s Commentary:

I was at the CompUSA at the New Market Mall, and the store is closing. They are liquidating everything. I was told by the cashier that the mall has actully been closed for over two years, and the Media Play went out about a year ago. He told me that a fitness center took over some of the mall and now took over the old Media Play store. There is also a Golfsmith in the mall. The sign outside no longer says "New Market Mall," but says "New Market Center."

David Stallard’s Commentary:

I want to correct the entry for the New Market Mall in Columbus Ohio. Both MediaPlay and CompUSA used to have doorways leading into the mall, but both stores sealed themselves off at some point. I moved to Columbus in 1995 so these anchor stores were open to the mall as recently as the late '90s...I can't say exactly when they decided to isolate themselves.