Friday Night Live

Looking for something to do on a Friday night? The National Theatre at The Ritz will host an eclectic selection of artists in an unplugged performance environment. Each Friday Night Live will feature two or three regional entertainers that may include a folk singer, a jazz musician, an aspiring singer/songwriter or some other style of artist who is passionate about the opportunity to showcase their talents.

All tickets $10 – EV

Sponsored by Tong’s Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing

Interested in performing in the Friday Night Live series?  Send an email to michael@ritztheatre.org and let him know!

October 17 Artists
Christopher Salyer
Free Wild
Melanie Klakamp

November 14 Artists
Jim Gill
Hamford Chmielewski Jazz Trio
J. Scott Franklin

December 12 Artists
PAHL
Gary Meadows
The Note to Self Quartet

January 16 Artists
The Movement
Mike Bryce
The Pinup Project Duo

February 6 Artists
Tiffin University Night

March 13 Artists – Cancelled due to a power outage.

April 24 Artists
Nashville Songwriters
Association International
Night

Tedd Swartz has served as the  regional coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) for more than 25 years. He has been writing songs and performing for 45 years. He writes and performs heartfelt and tender songs in a variety of genres with an emphasis on the human experience and healing.

Martin Koop has been an NSAI coordinator for more than 15 years. He performs gritty, groovy and soulful Americana songs about broken hearts, dirty laundry, trains, and friends and characters from his songwriting life.

Gary Meadows is a published singer songwriter originally from Central Ohio. Gary’s influences are everything from folk, country, rock, gospel and everything in between. Gary’s songs are a mosaic of rock, country and blues. Gary’s been writing songs since his teens. Gary’s slightly southern vocals and all original songs create his own unique Americana sound.

Jim Crissinger is an Ohio-based singer-songwriter with more than 200 original songs to his name. Rooted in rock and roll and shaped by a life’s worth of real experience, he’s recorded multiple albums, written songs for other artists, and performed across the Midwest for decades. His music follows one simple rule — borrowed from John Lennon — that words and music always tell the same story.

David Harms – Since picking up the guitar in junior high, David Harms has been steadily forming a solid musical foundation built upon musicianship, honesty, songwriting, and respect for music.

Throughout the 1990s, David performed around the Midwest with Tinfoil, playing the same venues as Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, and Kid Rock. Currently, Tinfoil has released 30 full-length albums and an assortment of Eps and singles.  Harms opened a commercial recording studio, Tinfoil’s Junk Studios, in 2005, which he continues to operate today. The studio has recorded bands as diverse as hard rock band Facing The Demons to the current incarnation of the Glen Miller Orchestra. 

Tinfoil released their latest album, “Memento Mori,” in April 2026, and the band is supporting the release with live shows. Tinfoil performs a live set every other week on their YouTube channel, broadcasting from Tiffin, Ohio. They also release a new single every six weeks, with a new single to be released in May. Tinfoil has had songs placed in television, movies, and online shows, and is featured in V1P Productions wrestling videos and meets. You can also hear Dangerous Dr. D performing solo acoustic shows in the area, blending original songs with covers in small venues.

May 15 Artists
Lila & Rowan
The Tuesday Crowd
Jeanette Aponte