Tradition Never Graduates - Kelly Kraus '11

Published: June 10, 2026

Cleveland’s Playhouse Square is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States – and Kelly Kraus ’11 is the Project Coordinator for the theater district’s Marketing Department. 

While this may be a dream job for Kelly now, it was not part of her original plan!

Kelly graduated from NDA in 2011 and attended the University of Dayton where she majored in Early Childhood Education. As graduation approached, she realized that the classroom was not the right place for her. Instead of teaching, she moved back to Toledo and worked in administrative support roles – including at NDA – as well as real estate and graphic design. 

Kelly later moved to working for a DEI training company designing training materials. It was a friend from that job who led to her current role at Playhouse Square. 

“I honestly did not know jobs like this existed,” she reflects. “You can’t look for something you’re not aware of, so I love to tell people about where I work and what we do. I'm so lucky to have come across this job in the way that I did.”

Kelly’s department is responsible for all things marketing and communications – from digital artwork on theater marquees to directional signs throughout the district. She and her team work with cast members to generate excitement about upcoming shows by creating fun, unique displays throughout the city, and producing social media content that highlights the Broadway tours visiting Cleveland. One of her favorite projects was creating a display of costumes from Hamilton when the tour visited Cleveland last summer.

“We have the largest season ticket holder base for touring Broadway in North America,” she explains. “Many of the Broadway shows want to launch their national tours in Cleveland because of the quality of both our staff and our audiences.” 

Although being around a few Broadway notables – including Alicia Keys, Ingrid Michaelson and Cameron Mackintosh – has been exciting, the colleagues Kelly works with every day bring her the most joy. 

“I’ve always said that theater people are the best people, and that is certainly true in my current role,” she shares. “There are so many jobs available ‘behind the scenes’ in the arts, but they don’t seem to be widely known. We have all kinds of positions, from accountants and IT specialists, to box office managers and theater electricians. You can have a career doing just about anything you’re good at in an industry you love, especially the arts!”