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Elynmarie Kazle

Elynmarie Kazle

Does anything stand out as your favorite USITT memory?

My favorite actual memory is the first time I walked out on stage for the Seattle New Products Showcase, it rather fulfilled my fantasy of being famous – my 15 minutes as it were.  My favorite memory ( as I imagine it in my mind) because I was not present,  was when I was named a fellow .

Short list of your career highlights?

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  • Stage Manager for 30 plus years dance, theatre and opera including Brooklyn Academy of Music;
  • 10 yrs touring internationally with Paul Linke and Time Flies…, Ohio Ballet, San Diego Opera and Great Lakes Shakespeare to name a few;
  • Established and ran the West Coast Office of the stage directors and choreographers union;
  • Working on Bent with Martin Sherman at the Coast Playhouse;
  • Working with Derek Walcott and Galt MacDermot on Joker of Seville in Graduate School;
  • Founding committees of both the Arts Alive Awards (Akron) and the Ovation Awards (Los Angeles);
  • Founder of the USITT Stage Management Mentoring Project;
  • Mentored students in the Firestone Visual and Performing Arts Program for the past ten years;
  • Produced theatre in Los Angeles for over 10 yrs.
  • Other career highlights:  working with director Geoff Bullen; meeting Richard Pilbrow, Jennifer Tipton and Ming Cho Lee; working and being friends with Tom Skelton; working  with Robert Wilson, Andrew Feigin and Beverly Emmons; being a member of the Stage Managers Association; and, getting to know Cindy Poulson.

Short list of your involvement in the institute?

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  • Served on the Board almost four full terms—two terms wo as a director at large and almost two as VP Membership and Development;
  • Served on 7 conference committees
    • In Boston, started Stage Management Mentoring Project);
    • For the  Seattle conference --revived New Products Showcase;
  • Expanded the Young Designers and Technicians scholarship program as VP Membership and Development;
  • Served on Finance, Publications, Membership, Grants and Fellowship,  and Management Commission. 

Short list of the memorable USITT characters that have made a difference to you?

Leland Watson, David Fleming, Ron Olson, Pat MacKay, Bill Byrnes, Geno Montgomery, Dick Durst, Larry Hill, and Christine Kaiser.

Anything you want to say about being a fellow?

It rocks.  Like having your kids young (which I did not) because I AM the youngest Fellow.

Anything you'd like to add about what the USITT means to you personally?

Best leadership training in the world.  Best friends on the planet.

List of your publications (if any)

Ohio Network newsletter (five years) and articles in Sightlines.

Mentoring? 

Of course!

 

Elynmarie Kazle  is a multidisciplinary artist, director, stage manager, and management consultant based in Akron, Ohio. She serves as the Production Manager for the Akron School for the Arts, bringing her extensive experience to the next generation of artists.

Kazle’s professional theatre career began in Ohio, where she stage managed for notable companies including Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland and Opera Columbus. Her journey led her to Southern and Central California, where she worked with prominent organizations such as the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, LA Classical Ballet, and Santa Monica Playhouse. Her New York City experiences include collaborations with Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Playwrights Horizons, and several solo international tours.

Having transitioned into directing and production management, Kazle now regularly consults for nonprofits across the country, specializing in organizational management and fundraising.

She has directed 15 plays, including The Revolutionists, On the Verge, Four Women Talking About the Man Under the Sheet, and the premiere of Trial by Fire by Eric Mansfield, a play on book banning. This past fall, she also directed Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Kazle has contributed to the theatre community as a chair for symposia and conferences, and designed stage management programs for institutions like USITT, LDI, the Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute, and Scouting America. As chair of the Stage Managers’ Association (SMA) for 8 years, she played a key role in creating the National Collaborators Conference, the first arts conference to go virtual during the pandemic. She currently serves as the President of the Foundation for Stage Managers, a role she has held since 2022.

An advocate for better working conditions in the arts, Kazle was a founding member of NoMore10outof12s.com, a national initiative focused on improving labor conditions for nonprofit theatres. She has also served as a Scout leader for over 20 years, supporting Troop One BSA, Girls 7001, and Crew 3001, as well as the Great Trail Council.

A Member of USITT for over 40 years, Kazle has received numerous honors, including being named a Fellow of USITT in 2007 and inducted into the National Theatre Conference in 2017. She was also recognized as an honorary Thespian by Firestone's Troop 5570. In 2023, Kazle received the Joel E. Rubin Founders Award and the SMA Founders Award in fall 2022. She was also honored with a citation for special service to the Weathervane Women’s Board in 2007. In May 2024, she received the Arts Alive Award and a certificate of special congressional action from Congresswoman Emilia Sykes for her contributions to theatre in Northeast Ohio and nationally.

Three things you might not know about Elynmarie: She’s flown a plane, served as a cultural ambassador to Sweden, and had an unexpected backstage encounter with playwright Arthur Miller at the National Theatre in London.