Mike Obertacz • Theater Director
You could say Mike Obertacz is a theatre person – after all, he’s the executive
director of a performance art nonprofit, the Near West Theatre in the Gordon
Square neighborhood of Cleveland. But it would be more accurate to say that
Mike is a community person, since connection is at the heart of both his day
job and his off-the-clock self.
Mike, a native of Northwest Ohio, returned here from New York City six
years ago. By then, he and his wife Leta had one son. (A second son arrived
after their return to Ohio.) “New York’s a phenomenal place to live when
you’re a young married couple, but it’s not where I was looking to raise a
family,” says Mike. “Shaker has a lot of the values that we were looking for as
a family. It was important for me to live in a community with a strong school
system. And I wanted a diverse community because we’re a diverse family.”
Community isn’t just at the heart of his family’s values; it also informs
Mike’s work with both the Near West Theatre and the Public Art Task Force.
Sure, “the play’s the thing” at Near West, but the organization’s mission
goes beyond the stage. It’s a neighborhood anchor and an intergenerational
organization. Near West is a place for kids to go after school and a place to
learn music, drama, and technical skills, but it’s also a place where life lessons
happen. “We’re teaching kids at an early age how to be collaborative, how to
create something together and be proud of that – and to be accountable for
deadlines and to push beyond what they’re comfortable with,” says Mike.
A major part of Mike’s job at Near West is asking how he can best
listen to the community. “I could develop any number of performing arts
opportunities and experiences for our community, but they need to want
it,” says Mike. Here he sees parallels to his role on the Public Art Task Force.
“I try to take that with me when I’m working on the Task Force. How are we
choosing pieces of art and experiences that the community will truly value
and enjoy and that will help enrich the lives of the residents of Shaker?”
Mike’s relationship with Shaker’s public art began in 2017 when he
worked on the Shaker Heights Fire Department’s centennial mural project on
Chagrin Boulevard. “When you look at public art, the primary clients are the
people who enjoy it once it’s established.” That’s why he believes strongly in
the kind of community feedback that the City collected on projects such as
the planned art installation at the Van Aken District.
“When we ask for community feedback on projects, it is very important
that we listen to that feedback. We can’t sit in a vacuum as the committee
and make decisions that can impact an entire community without weighing
what speaks to them as well.”
Ultimately, says Mike, it’s about telling the story of Shaker Heights and
the people who live here. Again, it’s about community. “I absolutely love
Shaker, and my family intends to be in Shaker for a very, very long time.”
“When you look at public art,
the primary clients are the
people who enjoy it once
it’s established.”