John Carroll University has a new way to engage its theater students through a partnership with Ensemble Theatre. The Cleveland-area company left its longtime home at Notre Dame College last year and will now be based at JCU鈥檚 Marinello Little Theater.
鈥淲e, as a board 鈥� had talked about the nature of the theater becoming maybe itinerant,鈥� said Celeste Cosentino, Ensemble鈥檚 executive artistic director. 鈥淭here's challenges when you don't have a space. There's challenges when you do have a space.鈥�
Now they鈥檒l be able to share resources with the college.
鈥淚 think both civic and educational organizations, as well as arts organizations, can really partner to kind of maximize assets,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e're going to bring a lot of the tech that we have that the space didn't.鈥�
Those physical attributes, such as lighting equipment, will be augmented by programming for current and potential students.
鈥淲e do a free 鈥� theater, film and voiceover summer camp that will be Cuyahoga County-based students,鈥� she said. 鈥淪tudents from all over the county will get introduced to John Carroll's campus when they're in middle school, which is really kind of exciting.鈥�
One young person who worked with Ensemble was Amy Payne. As a 19-year-old, she handled costumes for the company. Now, almost three decades later, Payne is John Carroll鈥檚 assistant director of student engagement for the arts.
鈥淭hat practical experience was so huge for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t completely molded who I am today. Being invested and involved in the arts really molds you as a person. We really do have this belief that it's a fundamental part of a well-rounded liberal arts education.鈥�
Ensemble will present 鈥淗enrik Ibsen鈥檚 Enemy of the People: A Rust-Belt Adaptation鈥� by Les Hunter in February, followed by Simon Stephens鈥� 鈥淗eisenberg鈥� in May. The partnership also calls for Cosentino to teach at JCU, work with the school鈥檚 drama club and mentor budding theater professionals.
鈥淚t's not just production, it's also 鈥� a kind of a collaborative,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have a network within Cleveland or Northeast Ohio that also then helps John Carroll students to go out into that network in Northeast Ohio.鈥�
by Cosentino鈥檚 mother, Lucia Colombi, in 1979. After she passed in 2009, Cosentino took the reins. The company has been housed in the past at Cleveland Heights鈥� Civic Building, the former Cleveland Play House building and the Coventry PEACE Campus.
