A new student-run and community-based organization is making its presence known on Ithaca College’s campus, providing theatre opportunities for the entire student body, regardless of major, year and experience. The Ithaca College Performing Arts Collective was established in Spring 2025 by sophomore Nicholas Kutzin as a way for students to be involved in theater without majoring in it. 

Kutzin, a writing for film, television and emerging media and theatre studies double major, is the president and student director of the collective and started ICPAC because of his passion for the arts. He said his arrival at college sparked a realization of the lack of opportunity for student-led musical theater. 

“When I came here, I was told how there were so many opportunities to do theater for non-theater majors,” Kutzin said. “And I figured out very quickly that there were a lot of opportunities for performance and music and acting and that sort of stuff, but there was nothing really musical theater. … And I [said], ‘Well, I want to change that.’” 

Since ICPAC’s debut show, the “Pipe Dream Cabaret,” in Spring 2025, it has established itself as a solid space for performers, directors and leaders alike. 

Sophomore Sabina Jungkeit, vocal performance major and vice president of the collective, explained how her goal was for ICPAC to feel like a sense of community, especially for students looking for a theatrical space. She said that ICPAC provides experience for not only performers, but for those interested in leadership roles as well.

“I feel … because of my major, [where I am] auditioning for things, I’ve never been like on the other [end of] the audition table,” Jungkeit said. “And so it was just interesting to me to see the other side of doing a show.” 

This year, Kutzin and the executive board have been working to put together the fall show, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” a musical comedy that includes singing, dancing and even bits of improv, with show dates planned for Nov. 6, 8 and 9 in the Hill Center room 104.

Zoe Link, a sophomore music major, said her fascination with Kutzin’s success led her to inquire and eventually become the music director of the Fall 2025 ICPAC production. 

“This has been a good learning experience for me, and different because I’m usually a player,” Link said. “I don’t often conduct stuff like this, so, of course, it’s different with a track, but this has been [a good] way for me to learn more about pit music.”

ICPAC kicked off the fall semester by gaining nearly 200 sign-ups on the email list at the college’s Student Organization and Employment Fair held in late August. 

Auditions for the Fall 2025 show were sent via video in mid-September, as promoted on their Instagram. As music director, Link explained what she was eyeing during casting. 

“I was mostly looking for people who had a distinct voice, like they could, of course, carry a tune and everything,” Link said. “I was looking for people … [who were] captivating to listen to. … We were mostly just looking … to see what each person brought to the part as a whole.”

ICPAC’s main goal is to provide students a chance to be heard, seen and considered, though that is not a guarantee of getting cast. 

“It’s open to everyone,” Kutzin said. “Your major does not matter. That was something that was really important to me. … [On the audition form] I made sure not to include ‘major’ because I don’t want that to affect casting in any capacity, along with age. … I think freshmen and seniors deserve the same opportunity to be in a show.”

First-year film major Ben Oren is an example of how ICPAC is an organization for lovers of the craft. It could be seen as something done “just for fun,” but to college students who graduated high school and left a piece of their heart on a stage back home, it means so much more. 

“I was overjoyed when I found this [organization], because I knew going into [college] that Ithaca was originally a conservatory,” Oren said. “So I was like, ‘Oh, my God, just goodbye theater.’ … It feels like a weight was lifted off my shoulders, that I was able to find these people in this club and just do this.”

Similarly, sophomore Kayla Fiore is working on the production as a cast member and is on the e-board as producing director. She explained that ICPAC has made it possible for her to pursue her passion outside of just her degree.

“Dillingham is so competitive, and so while I would love to audition for their shows, I don’t know that I have the same level of ability as some of the [musical theater] or acting majors,” Fiore said. “So what I really love about … ICPAC is that it is open for students of any and all majors, any and all skill levels.”

The School of MTD has audition guidelines that outline that auditions take place twice every year and are open to all students. However, students enrolled in the acting and musical theater degrees are required to audition every semester that they are on campus. Additionally, a block of slots is set aside in fall semester auditions for first-year and transfer students who are performance majors, so that faculty can see the entire works of the incoming class. 

Considering ICPAC’s newly sprouted roots, the club made sure to connect with other theater groups on campus, such as Harmony Theatre Collective and Macabre Theatre Ensemble.

For the fall show, ICPAC is utilizing resources they already have, since the production is very minimalist and the props are items they already had access to from prior personal experiences. Because organizations must request funding from the Student Governance Council a semester in advance, Fiore said that the group is currently working to get funding for next semester’s show, so it will have access to things like new promotional materials and sheet music software. 

“We’re borrowing some of Macabre’s mics for the show,” Kutzin said. “They were very generous in lending us some of their equipment. I really want to maintain a friendly relationship with them. I want us to all be able to work together and hopefully use each other’s resources.” 

Seth Soulstein, lecturer in the Department of Theatre Production and Management, advocated for students taking the initiative in starting student organizations by utilizing some resources available right at their fingertips. 

“Be resourceful with what you do have, and make it into something beautiful, and work around the roadblocks you find,” Soulstein said. 

Whether it is sharing equipment or supporting each other’s projects, ICPAC has understood how to put the “community” in community theater, especially when that circle is rather small. 

Despite Ithaca’s reputation as a liberal arts school with an emphasis on the arts, the lack of opportunity, especially in musical theater, can be jarring for some students. Fiore explained that looking forward, ICPAC plans on implementing different ways for more students to get involved.

“Toward the end of this year … we will most likely post about doing some sort of pitch night where people can come in with a pitch for a show that they want to either produce or direct or stage manage or whatever involvement they want to have,” Fiore said. “And then if your pitch gets chosen, we will help you produce it for the next semester, which would be really awesome to get other people involved outside.”

With the right kind of attitude, motivation and initiative, Soulstein said he believes the arts can continue to thrive for all students on campus, theater majors or otherwise. 

“That is what the beauty of the setup here is that if students feel passionately about something, they can say, ‘I want to make a club about it’ and get some resources, and that’s available to everyone,” Soulstein said.