Carleton University is built on its reputation for landmark achievements, such as its contribution to the Canada Arm, and for the actual landmarks that frame the campus, such as the canal and the Ottawa River.
However, Carleton is also built on its people. It is built on the hard work and long-term dedication of employees who have invested their energies, imaginations, talents and educations into propelling the university forward. It is in the quiet when the work gets done; it is in the ‘behind the scenes’ that the stage of teaching and learning can be set. This is a tribute to a particular stage, and a particular Carleton employee who sets it; Cedric Broten, theatre manager of the Kailash Mital Theatre (KMT).
For the past four decades, Cedric Broten has been an integral member of the Carleton community. He first joined the university as a student when he did his BA from 1970-74, followed by his MA in Medieval Drama from 1974-75.
From 1973-1993, Cedric pursued a successful and exciting career as an independent lighting designer, designing for a number of production companies including the NAC, Opera Lyra, GCTC and Rick Mercer.
Cedric launched his career with Carleton as the KMT’s theatre manager, adding to his portfolio the role of supervisor with Carleton University Event Support (CUES) in 2011. During his career, Cedric has participated in the booking of big-name acts, such as the Canadian Brass, Liona Boyd and Peter Ustinov, to name a few.
Through his prudence, he has been able to update the technology in the KMT, making it not only a state of the art theatre for the Ottawa region, but also a high-calibre space for teaching and learning.
With a vision to establish a small group that focused on client needs and satisfaction, Cedric developed CUES in 2011 “to bring the production sensibility of the KMT to CUES; a sensibility that featured professional standards of work supported by an inventory of professional gear.”
Cedric’s work at Carleton has been an ongoing contribution to improving services to both the university and external clients. The highlight of his career though is strikingly humble. It is not about the personalities he’s met or notable events he’s been a part of. Instead, Cedric has found satisfaction in the work.
“The thing that has always given me the most job satisfaction is being able to help an individual or group achieve their objectives – whether that be a performance objective or a particular look or standard that an event organizer is trying to achieve,” he says. “Forty years later I can still smile when we manage to do that.”