5 minute read
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.
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 historical styles and movements, “as well as providing opportunities for our students to take risks. We also should degree in theater (acting). She has since returned to serve as the director of the theater program here at her alma mater.
Alaina Manchester
As an arts educator and advocate, Manchester said she feels a responsibility to explore major 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 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 Neubert-Lechner
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 Bennett’s RPM Productions before setting back for Neubert Lechner, 40, of her perspective on the field. As executive director of the Erie Playhouse, 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 Neubert-Lechner, 40, of her perspective on the field.
Kate Neubert-Lechner
As executive director of the Erie Playhouse, she oversees all day-to-day and big-picture activities of the community staple, from fundraising to new program development, to creative work on productions themselves. “Ultimately, I work with our staff, volunteers, community partners, patrons and donors to ensure that we are providing services and entertainment opportunities that serve the entire Erie community in the best possible way,” she said.
Neubert-Lechner reflected on what is an unprecedented time as a leader of a performing arts nonprofit – and a leader in the general sense – and one that she never thought we’d need to be prepared for, and yet we are. “
I think that all of my collective experiences in college, in the workforce and as a director and performer have helped prepare me for leading during this time. Gannon raises students to have a compassionate global view and that view helps me today,” she said.
Emily Cassano,
Penn State Behrend’s director of theater, said that for her, “arts are one of the most magical parts of life – exploring emotions on every level.” Cassano – now a full-time professor of theater history, musical theater, acting, gender and theater at Penn State – earned her bachelor’s degree in theater and communication arts after transferring to Gannon in her sophomore year. She earned a master’s degree in educational theater from New York University in 2007 and a post-baccalaureate certificate in educational technology from Penn State in 2017.
Emily Cassano
For Cassano, learning to adapt as a theater instructor during the Spring 2020 semester has been a priority so that her students can still find the arts accessible and beneficial during difficult times.
“I had to give up some goals that I originally had hoped we’d reach, and I set some new goals that I thought were more attainable with remote learning in mind. One thing all of the professors at Behrend have been attempting during this time is kindness; I have always had kind, understanding and helpful professors myself – at Gannon and beyond – so I hope to emulate those approaches,” Cassano said.
At the time of this writing, Broadway is dark in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “[But] we are turning to the arts right now for comfort and entertainment and peace,” said Cassano, 36.
Zach Flock,
37, received his bachelor’s degree in theater and communication arts in 2005 and a Master’s of Public Administration in 2019 from Gannon. He now works at his alma mater as associate director for communications in the Office of Admissions and leads the Dramashop as artistic director.
Zach Flock
“Dramashop focuses primarily on contemporary theater, and theater reflects the society in which it’s written,” Flock said. “So we often find ourselves tackling contemporary issues, telling stories that are sometimes painfully relevant. Theatre holds a mirror to society.”
“The great thing about our Gannon education is that we learned by doing,” Flock added. “The byproduct of that is that I learned you can’t be prepared for every situation, but you can be quick to adapt and to roll with whatever situation presents itself.”
Flock reflected on how the world’s current COVID-19 pandemic has forced and encouraged leaders in the arts to be even more creative and innovative than before.
“At Gannon, I always felt empowered to be creative and innovative, and the MPA program prepared me to be a leader in a difficult time. So, as challenging a time as it is for Dramashop and all arts and cultural organizations, I feel prepared for the challenge,” he said.
“It’s a humbling time to be in a position of leadership, and we’re all just doing the best we can. I recognize that a lot of people are doing work that’s far more important – medical personnel and first responders – but the arts and humanities are important, too. It’s our job to tell our stories, and we’ll keep doing that as best as we can,” Flock said.
