From the reinstatementreinstationing of a Theatre Club on campus to the hiring of a director of fine and performing arts, John Carroll University is slowly but surely rebuilding an arts scene on campus. These efforts will only continue going into the upcoming fall semester as more performing arts classes are being added to the course catalogue.
Two brand new classes are being brought to John Carroll in the fall: FA-1110 introduction to improvisation on stage and FA-2330 acting for the stage. Others are being brought back to campus after a few years of absence, including FA-1112 jewelry making, FA-1051 modern dance and FA-1260 drawing I. All of these classes are listed on the Banner website under the subject “Fine Arts,” which is not its own department, but is currently recognized as part of the office of student engagement.
Keith Nagy, communication professor at JCU, ran the theater program for over 20 years before it was shut down in 2020. He remembers the “long history of [theater] being dodged around here,” as the performing arts have not always had a lot of exposure on campus. He and Amy Payne, director of fine and performing arts, hope this continues to change.
Payne believes that if the university can see “all these classes in Marinello… all these groups that want to do these great things in Marinello,” the people in power will recognize the influence and importance the performing arts have on campus.
Nagy acknowledges that JCU is not the kind of school students attend in hopes of becoming theater majors. “We are just not that kind of school,” he says. He does, however, hope the theater minor could return to campus soon, as he says many students will realize that the skills obtained in theater can help in a variety of disciplines, “in terms of being able to get out in front of people… and cultural advancement.”
The two do realize the positive direction that JCU is facing in terms of recognition of the performing arts. Recently, a presentation highlighting the fine arts was held on JCU’s Admitted Students Celebration Day, in which the university was “proud of what we have,” according to Payne.
She believes JCU is realizing that the performing arts are an outlet for students to not only enjoy but also express themselves and that supporting it will “keep recruitment going” and attract incoming students in various fields of study. This fact has become all the more clear to her, as some prospective students are being directed to meet with her to discuss the performing arts on campus.
Payne and Nagy are very hopeful for the future of fine arts at John Carroll. Though they recognize the hardships that they will face, they are prepared to tackle them to bring back something that they believe is essential to the university.
