CSU’s Theatre & Dance Department struggles to secure funding
Some CSU Theatre & Dance Department benefit shows have been canceled during the 2022-2023 school year – one following the report of a sexual assault on set.
Cancellation of that show not only impacted the persons involved in the incident, but also impacted funding for the already stretched theater department at Cleveland State University.
During the theater season, multiple shows are chosen as “benefit shows” in which each $20 ticket sale goes to the Theatre & Dance Department scholarship fund, known as the Cleveland Playhouse Scholarship.
The production "I'm Back Now" would have fed into that fund, but the mishandling of the sexual assault led to its cancellation.
“Cleveland Play House acknowledges there were missteps in efforts to respond to a sexual assault,” the organization said in a statement in February.
The Play House's 2022-2023 season had been set to include “I’m Back Now: Returning to Cleveland'' as a benefit show, along with the Cleveland Playhouse holiday show. The cancellations rebounded on the CSU theater department.
“Traditionally, our biggest moneymaker is their Christmas show,” said a faculty member, who asked not to be named. “That’s where we bring in the most dollars for our scholarship fund, so having that be canceled was especially painful.”
In 2022, CSU brought in $340 for the fund with the shows “American Mariachi” and “The Great Leap,” the Department of Dance and Theatre said. The Cleveland Playhouse Scholarship fund brings in an average of $3,000 to $5,000 annually, according to faculty.
The lack of benefit shows for this theater season is leaving students with a slim chance of earning a scholarship next semester, affecting opportunities for higher education for theater students.
“Faculty and staff of the department are a big part of my personal community here at CSU,” said Cassandra Miller, a senior Theatre and Dance major. “If it wasn’t for the scholarship funds that the department provides, I probably wouldn’t have the opportunity to have them as educators. The scholarship funds are important because it gives an opportunity for students to see and experience the change, culture and community that we as black artists yearn to see.”
Despite the cancellations, CSU plans to continue its partnership with Cleveland Play House, citing the value of the opportunities for students studying the arts it presents.
“Playhouse Square continues to be a valued and important partner for the university in advancing student opportunities in theatre, dance, film and media arts,” said David Kielmeyer, associate vice president of marketing and communications at CSU. “We look forward to continuing to work with them in support of the Arts and Cleveland’s creative economy.”
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