April 17, 2025 // Diocese

Luers’ Theater Director Marks 40 Years of Nurturing Talent

Georgia Lieb

For Bishop Luers High School’s Karlene Krouse, a performing arts program is all about the educational experience.

“Education has to come first with all of this,” Krouse said. “It’s about the educational process that the students go through.”

This year marks Krouse’s 40th year serving as theater director at Bishop Luers High School. Throughout her career, she has contributed immensely to the growth of its performing arts program. Since 1985, she has directed nearly 150 plays and musicals, leaving a lasting impact on students, staff, and alumni alike. 

“She’s always pushing everyone to be the best version of themselves,” said Bishop Luers senior Zach Prendergast, who has acted in 14 of Krouse’s shows. “She really wants the best for you – and the best for our group as a whole. We’re very lucky to have someone who’s willing to give so much for the enjoyment of others.” Prendergast also mentioned Krouse’s favorite directing advice: “Don’t be yourself,” which she says to cast members when too much of their own personality shines through on stage instead of the personality of the character they are portraying. “That’s actually my senior quote,” Prendergast added with a smile.

A graduate of Jordan Conservatory of Music at Butler University, Krouse received her master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Saint Francis. She and her husband, Jim, have five children, all Bishop Luers alumni.

Krouse began her career at Churubusco High School as the choral director, musical director, and show choir director. She then became the music teacher at St. John the Baptist School in Fort Wayne, where she directed a performance of “Peter Pan,” which then-Bishop Luers Principal Mary Lombardo attended. Impressed by the performance, Lombardo asked Krouse if she would direct theater at Bishop Luers, which lacked a theater program at the time.

Krouse accepted the part-time position as Bishop Luers’ theater director in the fall of 1985, working as a stay-at-home mom by day and attending theater practice in the evenings. She began directing three productions per school year – a fall play, Christmas musical, and spring musical.

Krouse began teaching theater classes in 1996, establishing Bishop Luers as the first high school in Fort Wayne to provide dual-credit theater courses. These included Fundamentals of Performance, Theater Appreciation 201, and Theater 114, a speech and communications class.

Along with her many theater responsibilities, Krouse took on the position of choir director in the 1998-99 school year, directing the chorus, chamber ensemble, and the Bishop Luers Minstrels Show Choir for more than 20 years. She began the school’s Cabaret Knight, an annual event to raise money for the show choir.

“I’ve always been blessed with phenomenal help,” Krouse said. “You can’t do it by yourself. It takes a village.”

Currently, Krouse is the performing arts department chair at Bishop Luers, and she continues to run the theater program along with an instructional coaching program for new teachers. She is also a mentor teacher for Goshen College and Taylor University.

Working in the school for decades, Krouse has seen many classes come and go. Several former students now participate in the theater scene both locally and abroad.

“I can go out about every weekend (to area theaters) and there are students who have come through here who are either in the ensemble or who have gone on to that next level,” Krouse said.

When asked what her favorite Bishop Luers theater performances have been, Krouse said with a grin: “The last one is my favorite one. I love them because of the students who are in them.”

She mentioned “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” which had a great cast, including leads Michael Oberholtzer, who now performs on Broadway, Fernando Terango, who runs an online music lessons and instruction school, and Tamara Drew, who began Studio BE, a nonprofit organization based out of Chicago that provides acting, dance, and vocal performance training.

She also mentioned other favorites, including the first time they performed “Best Christmas Pageant Ever” and “Our Town,” which was performed outside during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Bishop Luers courtyard, and the students had to be very creative.

During COVID, the theater department performed the radio/TV version of “A Christmas Carol.” Krouse said, “We had everybody set up 6 feet apart in the gym with microphones.” Students created the narration and different sounds with various props, such as creaking hinges, boots walking, and piano music.

Many Bishop Luers alumni have shared how Krouse has impacted them.

Adam Hanke, a Bishop Luers alum and current band director, assists Krouse by directing the musicians for the spring musicals. Hanke admires Krouse for “setting the bar high, and for her ability to get people to meet that bar. She’s incredibly hardworking and dedicated to her craft, to the school. She has been a great mentor to me. She’s incredible in terms of just being able to draw from our small pool of people and put on such quality productions with what we have. She’s always diverted credit to the kids.”

Father Royce Gregerson, pastor at Our Lady of Good Hope Parish in Fort Wayne and former Bishop Luers alum, has many good memories. “Mrs. Krouse’s leadership in the theater program at Bishop Luers gave me a place to shine as a teenager. I can’t imagine having survived high school without that place where I could discover my God-given talents and enjoy being myself, where there were other young people who also appreciated the performing arts. It also laid the groundwork for my understanding of the Church’s worship as a sacred drama. I wish all seminarians and priests could have that experience and develop the poise, confidence, and a sense of gravity and solemnity that good theater cultivates. People ask me if I get uncomfortable being in front of people all the time. Thanks to show choir and theater with Mrs. Krouse, the answer is definitely ‘no.’”

Cindy Griffith, Bishop Luers alum and current choreography director for the theater program said: “I have worked with Karlene for the past 20 years. She was also my director when I attended Luers!  She has made a huge impact on so many students’ lives. Karlene has shown them that any student can be in a show because everyone has a talent to share. Luers is so lucky to have her dedication to the program for so many years.”

In her spare time, Krouse has served on community boards, including Junior League, Fort Wayne Children’s Theatre, and the FAME school arts program. She has been a show choir adjudicator for West Virginia State and many invitationals around the Fort Wayne area. In 2007, Krouse was named an Athena Award nominee for leadership in the Fort Wayne community, and she was presented with the Bishop Luers High School Light of Learning Award (now known as Christ the Teacher Award). Krouse was also recognized for her outstanding work and support of Bishop Luers as an Honorary Knight Award recipient in 2021. In November of 2024, she received the IHSAA Champion Educator Award at Lucas Oil Stadium during Bishop Luers’ state championship football game.

A unique hallmark of Bishop Luers’ Performing Arts program is its diversity. Students of all backgrounds, including athletes, participate. Each student receives a free ticket to each production. Krouse said, “I love the fact that we are the only high school in the city of Fort Wayne where everyone has an opportunity to be in the theater program, and they take advantage of it!”

“It’s that Luers spirit – it goes into everything that we do,” added Krouse.

Experience Krouse’s directing skills in action during the 2025 spring musical, “High School Musical.” Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the gymnasium on Friday, May 2, and Saturday, May 3. Tickets are available for $10 and can be purchased online at bishopluers.org.