out of the spotlight If all the world’s a stage, Gannon University is filling it with leading characters. Erie is home to a number of theaters, and leading four of them are Gannon alumni. Gannon’s own Schuster Theatre is managed by Director of Performing and Visual Arts Alaina Manchester ‘07; Penn State Behrend’s Theatre operates under Director of Theatre Emily Cassano ‘05; at the helm of Dramashop is Artistic Director Zach Flock ‘05; and the Erie Playhouse serves the community under Executive Director Kate Neubert-Lechner ‘03. We got in touch to talk about what theater - and their theater education - means to them.
degree in theater (acting). She has since returned to serve as the director of the theater program here at her alma mater. As an arts educator and advocate, Manchester said she feels a responsibility to explore major 14
historical styles and movements, “as well as providing opportunities for our students to take risks. We also should
provide a space for new forms and pieces, because we are a place of discovery,” Manchester said. Manchester, 34, said she appreciates the Schuster as a black box space – and the only in the area – where students engage in all aspects of the productions alongside passionate
GANNON MAGAZINE MAY 2020
faculty. She has provided these opportunities for students, including having them create and perform their own devised theatre at the internationally acclaimed Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. “It’s the heart and imagination” that make the arts so important – particularly now, Manchester said. “If this terrible COVID crisis has shown us anything about ourselves, it has shown us the importance of the arts to comfort and entertain us. In the months to come, it will help us as we try to make sense of it all. And soon, it will bring us together again.”
Kate NeubertLechner took a longer road to Gannon. She began her collegiate career at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music before moving to New York City three days before Sept. 11, 2001. Six months later, she returned home to finish her degree at Gannon but made one more move to NYC to work for the legendary Tony
KATE NEUBERT-LECHNER
ALAINA MANCHESTER
Alaina Manchester earned her bachelor’s degree in theater and communication arts from Gannon in 2007 before traveling to the University of Florida to achieve a master of fine arts
Bennett’s RPM Productions before setting back for
Erie to take the reins of the Erie Playhouse following the retirement of Gannon alumna Almitra Clerkin ’85, ’17M. “The arts are a powerful agent of change that can begin conversations, bring people to a new point of thinking, and can truly bring purpose to some individuals’ lives,” said
NeubertLechner, 40, of her perspective on the field. As executive director of the Erie Playhouse,
