James Levin

 

Founder of
Cleveland Public Theatre

 

by Kayce Caesar, crew 5

 

 

James Levin is a very driven person. He has had the ability to do many things such as start a theater and direct the Gordon Square Cultural Arts District. He said in his advice to his younger self, “Pick what direction you want to go. Stay that course and drive it home.” This shows how Mr. Levin is driven and likes to stay focused on his goal to better places in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

James Levin did a lot of different things before he got into the arts. When he was in high school he was an activist. He was involved in student council and activism. He said, “I wanted to inspire change.” At Shaker Heights he became head of the student council. There they started a tutoring program. In college Mr. Levin started off as a religious major, then philosophy and finally English. He actually didn’t get into the arts until he was in law school. In law school Mr. Levin started getting involved in theater.

 

Later on Mr. Levin became a director. He directed plays like Marat/Sade. He said that that play was his favorite. It was an experimental play. He actually rewrote the whole play. The official title was The Persecution and Assassination of Jean Paul Maurat. Killer Joe was another play he directed. Both of those plays were performed at the Cleveland Public Theatre, a theatre he founded in 1982 on Detroit Ave. In all he’s written 10 plays. Most of them had been produced because he was the director of his own theater. This shows how he stayed focused on doing that one thing – directing.  This shows how he is a driven person.

 

Mr. Levin says that as a director he had a lot of responsibilities. Some of his responsibilities were mental and conceptual responsibility for the way the play was performed and staged. The things that the audience can’t see are the result of the idea or mission of the director. He had to develop values of being a director.  He also had to enjoy it and answer his own questions and think ahead.

 

Through a friend Mr. Levin heard about the Famicos Foundation. The Famicos Foundation is a community development group that focuses on making life better in Glennville. That’s when he decided to do something like that in Gordon Square where his theater was located. He started the Gordon Square Cultural Arts District. Mr. Levin said that when he had first started the Cleveland Public Theatre in 1982 “the neighborhood was pretty much blighted.” Mr. Levin was different because instead of starting a theater in a prospering neighborhood he chose 65 Detroit where nobody prospered in the arts. Mr. Levin founded and directed the theater for over 20 years. Today the neighborhood is much better. More people who enjoy the arts hang around and he is making a difference in the community. As Mr. Levin directed the theater and directed the arts district he got a wind of new business and ideas coming into the area. More businesses, restaurants, rehearsal studios, architect studios, and other types of businesses opened in the neighborhood. This shows how he is driven and he inspires change to people and he stays focused and does his best at helping that community.

 

In the future Mr. Levin said he wants to continue to work at the Gordon Square Cultural Arts District. He’s also going to continue to do many other things in the city. He helps to organize several festivals in Cleveland each year including the One World Festival on MLK. He is also planning to start a theater camp for seventh and eighth graders in July. James Levin is a person who has used his talents to make a difference in Cleveland. His advice to other on how to do this is simple, “Don’t be afraid to fail and take risks.” This shows how Mr. Levin is driven and isn’t afraid to take risks. Because he has stayed focused and did all he could to drive his goals home Cleveland is a better place today.