New partnership between John Carroll University and Heights Youth Theatre

Heights Youth Theatre (HYT) has started a partnership with John Carroll University’s Fine and Performing Arts Department to bring new opportunities to students who are enthusiastic about theater and art. HYT is one of the oldest children’s theaters in the country, dedicated to providing quality stage production on the East Side of Cleveland.

HYT Executive Director Pam Fine is enthusiastic about what it will bring to both the theater’s current students and those at JCU. “We thought it would be a great opportunity for the current John Carroll students, but it would also be a great opportunity to expose our students to John Carroll as a possible place for them to think about going to school,” she said.

In terms of the biggest goals for the partnership, HYT aims for this to be a mutually beneficial relationship where they feel that their presence on campus is a positive thing for faculty, students and the JCU community in general. As they move forward, Fine and her colleagues hope this “provides us with some stability with our space to do our programming and to grow our programming. And to look at opportunities to collaborate even deeper as we move forward.”

Wherever students’ interests lie in theater, HYT plans on giving them an opportunity to pursue their creativity. Fine said, “There’s room to assistant direct, assistant stage manage, work on crew, learn how to [do] lighting design, sound design. Any wealth of things, and if there’s anybody that’s interested in marketing, one of our board members heads up our marketing, so there’s opportunity there to help with that. Really, the sky’s the limit when it comes to putting on a production.”

The partnership first got started when Amy Payne, assistant director of student engagement for the arts, reached out to one of Heights Youth Theatre’s directors, discussing the possibility of a partnership that would include HYT doing their productions over at JCU. Fine said, “We just thought it would be a win-win situation all around. We needed a more permanent space to do our productions. 
We thought it would be a great opportunity for the current John Carroll students, but it would also be a great opportunity to expose our students to John Carroll as a possible place for them to think about going to school.”

Amy Payne stated, “Heights Youth Theatre’s young artists are the future of John Carroll University, and this partnership is a wonderful way for us to support the arts and our Greater Cleveland community. It also provides John Carroll students with an opportunity to work with a respected organization and gain hands-on experience in professional theatre.” The following shows are coming up at Kulas Auditorium. Tickets are $16 for adults and $11 for students and seniors. For more information, email heightsyouththeatre@gmail.com.

• Moana Jr.: January 2027
• Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure: April and May 2027