Ensemble Theatre, a professional theatre company operating out of JCU’s Marinello Theatre, kicked off its season on Sept. 27 with a night of sneak peeks and charcuterie. 

The night began with August Scarpelli, the artistic director for the Western Reserve Playhouse and director of “Proof,” and Anne Blum, board president of Ensemble Theatre. 

It was followed by a sneak peek of “Proof” presented by Celeste Cosentino, the executive artistic director of Ensemble Theatre and professor of theatre at JCU, performing as Catherine and Claudia Lief Zalevsky performing as Claire. “Proof” is a play dealing with family, loss and the complex relationships that emerge from it. Scarpelli shared that the most special part of this play is “coming home.” 

After “Proof” was a scene where Dan Zalevsky performed as Jamie from “Long Day’s Journey into the Night,” co-directed by Ian Wolfgang Hinz & Rebecca Moseley. This play, written by Eugene O’Neill, dives into the heaviness of life, addressing struggles with alcoholism and addiction. Zalevsky shared that he loves how “you can really dig deep and connect things to your own life” through this play and performing as Jamie, who is “a cynic but doesn’t like it when people see him that way.” Zalevsky went on to share that, to him, this is one of the greatest plays ever written and a dream role to perform. 

The last sneak peek was performed by Drew Pope as Donnie in “Exit Strategy,” a play directed by Jeannine Gaskin that follows a school on the brink of closure. It is a play mixed with humor and heat and will be the final production of Ensemble Theatre’s 2025-26 season.

The season kick-off left audience members bubbling with excitement as they left the theatre. Many shared high praise for Ensemble Theatre. Roberta Rusek stated, “It challenges me,” when explaining why she loves Ensemble Theatre. Other audience members had a much more personal connection to Ensemble Theatre. Renée Matthews Jackson reminisced as she shared, “I’ve known Celeste since she was in the womb,” and has participated in Ensemble Theatre as an artist.

For Rachel Tschantz, these plays were about art. She explained how important art is to society, stating, “Art is the key to understanding the imperfections of life.” This is why theatre organizations such as Ensemble perform shows that challenge its audience members: art helps audiences understand life’s imperfections, teaching people how to reconcile with those imperfections, sometimes even to the point of loving them. 

Not only does Ensemble Theatre challenge its audience members, but it has also played a vital role in the resurgence of theatre on JCU’s campus. From redoing the Marinello Stage to providing two additional theatre courses, Cosentino has made an active effort to collaborate with JCU Arts and JCU. 

Amy Payne, the assistant director of student engagement for the arts, shared that “we’re one of the only two schools in northeast Ohio that has an in-house resident theatre company.” She added that students not only get to watch new shows and classics for free through Ensemble Theatre, but can also take classes and get hands-on experience with the executive artistic director of Ensemble Theatre. 

When asked what she was most excited for this season and school year, Cosentino stated it was, “deepening my relationship with the John Carroll student body. “She added how much she loved working with Peter Kvidera, who holds a doctorate in English and Debra Rosenthal, who holds a doctorate in English, as well, mentioning how fun it was to drop into Dr. Feerick’s “Intro to Shakespeare” class last semester, where she and Becca Moseley gave an acting workshop or, as Cosentino put it, “an extra level of life to literature.”

Cosentino had nothing but praise to give JCU and how the university welcomed Ensemble Theatre with open arms last school year. She shared that there was already so much collaboration in a place where it was meant to happen, stating at the end, “We feel like we’re home and we’ve only been here for two shows.” 

For more information about Ensemble Theatre and their 2025-26 season, visit their website. All JCU students can attend Ensemble Theatre events for free and will be met with nothing but Cosentino’s open arms and smiling face.