By Miya Williams Fayne
Elizabeth Carner fell in love with theatre when she was eight years old. She attended a performance of Peter Pan and was inspired to work in theatre one day. She recalled, “Peter Pan was the start of realizing that I wanted to inspire an audience, as a way to give back to the community.”
The Illinois native received her BA in Theatre from Beloit College where she participated in many of the college’s productions. She then went on to intern in the stage management department at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Carner enjoyed her time at the “Equity” theatre because she was able to assist with a variety of shows and work with likeminded people. “I still keep in contact with several individuals and feel I became part of the family,” she shared.
While health issues prevented Carner from pursuing her theatre goals further at the time, she kept a hand in the game through volunteer work in her local theatre community as a stage manager at Rock Valley College Starlight Theater, Rock River Reparatory Theatre and others as a way to “keep fresh.”
Now that she is back to full speed, Carner sees the MSLCE program as a new beginning. She loves the wide range of backgrounds that her peers have and hopes to learn how to better navigate the theatre industry. “The creative industries can be so mystifying and to add to that, constantly evolving,” she said. “I want to learn about subjects/topics that will help me stay in sync or possibly lead a section of the creative industry.”
Carner has found that her passion for the creative industries often inspires others to patronize the arts. She has also noticed that her favorite part of working on a new show is the audition process and that she has a knack for encouraging young actors. As such, after graduation from the MSLCE program she hopes to work in the PR or marketing department of a talent agency. She explained, “I see it as a continuation of promoting what I love and sharing it with others.”