Cleveland Public Theatre’s Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan is proud to announce the promotion of Melissa Crum, former Artistic and Education Associate and Interim Director of Education, to the official role of Director of Education. Melissa takes over from former Director of Education Nicole Sumlin, who resigned to pursue other opportunities last summer.

Melissa has been involved with CPT for several years as an artist and teaching artist for all CPT’s education programs prior to joining the staff full time a few years ago. As a member of the theatre’s senior leadership team, her new role will include working alongside Raymond to undergo strategic planning for the department, including all of the education programs, which include CAN Academy and CMHA CAN, STEP, and Y-Haven Theatre Project, managing all full- and part-time teaching artists as well as continuing her excellent work as a director and deviser with Y-Haven Theatre project, among other things. Her ability to work with and guide artists of various levels of skill, patience, passion for CPT, and exemplary work as a professional Greater Cleveland artist made her a natural choice for the position.

“I am thrilled that Melissa Crum has accepted this new role at CPT. Over the past several years, Missy has become one of the region’s strongest community-based devised theatre makers, and she has contributed meaningfully across all of our major education programs. She brings a deep understanding of CPT’s values and a clear grasp of what truly differentiates our approach to arts education in the field. I cannot wait to see how she leads CPT’s education programs into a new chapter of community impact and life-changing experiences.”
—Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan

“Cleveland Public Theatre has been a creative home to me for over 16 years, and stepping into this role feels like a natural continuation of a long-standing relationship rooted in trust, experimentation, and care. I am deeply passionate about the power of artmaking to create transformative change, and I have witnessed firsthand how CPT’s education programs shape artists, strengthen community, and expand what feels possible. As a creator myself, I am energized by the opportunity to support artists and participants in their growth while imagining what these programs can become. At the heart of my work is a deep commitment to fostering artistic growth in young people while creating meaningful connections between theatre and social justice initiatives. I believe this work has the power to transform not only our artistic community but our city as a whole, and I am honored to steward that vision as Director of Education.”
—Melissa Crum, Director of Education, Cleveland Public Theatre

About Melissa Crum

Melissa Crum is an award-winning director, writer, composer/musician, performer, and arts educator whose work centers humor, heart, and vulnerable truth-telling. Melissa’s creative achievements include receiving the Kulas Composer Fellowship at Cleveland Public Theatre in 2023 and co-writing and composing the dark musical comedy Everything is Okay (and other helpful lies) through her 2016–2017 Nord Family Foundation Playwright Fellowship at CPT. The work received a production at CPT in 2019 and earned a reading at the New York Musical Festival. Melissa and co-writer Caitlin Lewins were 2019 Finalists for the MITTEN Lab. As a director, Melissa has garnered critical acclaim, most notably winning both Best Director and Best Production in the 2023 Cleveland Critics Circle Awards for her direction of Little Women at Dobama Theatre. Her extensive new play development work includes workshops and staged readings of over 15 original pieces. Her artistic development was shaped through the 2013–2014 Joan Yellen Horvitz Directing Fellowship at Cleveland Public Theatre, culminating in her critically acclaimed production of The Drowning Girls. Currently serving as Interim Director of Education at Cleveland Public Theatre, Melissa brings multifaceted knowledge in program management, new work development, and community engagement to her leadership role. With a BA in Theatre Arts from Cleveland State University and specialized training in Directing Devised Theatre and Theatre Creation, Melissa combines rigorous artistic training with practical experience in arts management, event production, and community programming. Her work consistently demonstrates a commitment to fostering artistic growth in young people while creating meaningful connections between theatre and social justice initiatives. Through all her work, she remains dedicated to creating spaces where artists and audiences can explore the full spectrum of human experience with authenticity, humor, and hope.

Photo by Steve Wagner