Theatre @ The Wertheim
The Department of Theatre cultivates a dynamic environment where performance, design, and storytelling converge. This selective, specialized-admission program is built on small cohorts and deeply personalized instruction, preparing pre-professionals through a curriculum grounded in both academic study and hands-on experience.
The Wertheim’s Mainstage and Black Box theatres, professional-standard scene and costume shops, innovative design studio, and state-of-the-art lighting lab provide students with the tools and environment to work in professional venues. Across the department’s core areas of acting, musical theatre, and design and technology, as well as the broader BA in Theatre program, students move seamlessly between classroom instruction and production. Actors develop their craft through in-depth study of techniques including Stanislavski, Meisner, Michael Chekhov, Shakespeare, and on-camera acting. Student designers and technicians bring full seasons of productions to life before live audiences each year. Students here don’t simply study a role or create a rendering. At the Department of Theatre at The Wertheim, they audition, rehearse, design, build, and perform—developing the creative discipline, technical expertise, and collaborative skills needed to thrive in this profession.
Each year, Theatre @ The Wertheim engages hundreds of student and local audience members through a season of productions that brings emerging artists, designers, and technicians to the Miami community. That work reflects a department committed to bold, contemporary storytelling—staging classic repertoire alongside new plays and amplifying the first-generation and global voices that define Miami and its stages. In a city shaped by diverse cultures and artistic traditions, the department provides a distinctive place for those voices to be developed, heard, and shared with audiences.
This impact extends far beyond campus through accomplished alumni such as Danny Pino (’96), who honed his craft on the FIU stage before starring as Detective Scotty Valens on Cold Case, Nick Amaro on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Miguel Galindo on FX’s Mayans M.C. We celebrate that legacy by honoring the productions, artists, and voices that continue to define Theatre @ The Wertheim—and by preparing the next generation to carry that legacy forward.
Chair’s Message: Jennifer Rose Ivey
For three decades, the Department of Theatre has brought stories to life at The Wertheim Performing Arts Center—transforming its stages into spaces of imagination, exploration, and connection. Here, students have trained as actors, designers, and creators, learning to craft work that reflects both timeless traditions and contemporary voices. The Wertheim has been central to this journey, fostering a dynamic environment where collaboration and creativity thrive. As we mark this anniversary, we celebrate the artists who have defined our past and the emerging voices who will shape the future of theatre at FIU.
Jennifer Rose Ivey
Chair
At a Glance
Productions & Season Programming
A Diverse and Dynamic Repertoire
The Department of Theatre presents a diverse and ambitious range of theatrical work. Each mainstage season at The Wertheim encompasses multiple forms and perspectives, including:
- Classical theatre
- Contemporary and socially relevant plays
- Musicals and collaborative productions
- Original and devised works
With four to five productions presented annually across its performance spaces at The Wertheim, FIU Theatre provides audiences with a rich and varied theatrical experience throughout the Fall and Spring semesters.
The Department’s artistic programming extends beyond its mainstage productions at The Wertheim. Throughout the academic year, Carpe DM provides a dedicated platform for wholly student-led productions in the DM 150 performance space.
Carpe DM empowers students to develop and present their own creative work, from original plays and devised pieces to individual artistic projects. Through their experiences with Carpe DM and the fully realized productions at The Wertheim, FIU students move beyond the role of student artist to become creators, collaborators, and artistic leaders—developing the independence, creative problem-solving skills, and practical experience essential to careers in the performing arts.
Training Artists for the Real World
Experiential Learning is in the core
FIU Theatre prepares students to become versatile, adaptable artists. Through intensive training and production experience, graduates develop the creative, technical, and collaborative skills needed to succeed in professional theatre and related industries.
Here, students learn by doing. Rather than practicing craft in isolation, they assume meaningful roles and responsibilities in fully realized productions, working alongside faculty and peers to move a production from first read to opening night. This immersive experience develops more than individual skills; it cultivates the discipline, problem-solving, resilience, and collaborative mindset essential to professional practice.
Students explore diverse pathways, including acting, directing, playwriting, design, and production, while also being encouraged to create original work and shape their own artistic trajectories. Many discover strengths across multiple disciplines, graduating as flexible, entrepreneurial artists capable of contributing creatively both onstage and behind the scenes.
That versatility opens doors well beyond the stage. FIU Theatre graduates apply their training across theatre, film and television, arts administration, education, and other creative industries. Student and alumni work has earned national recognition, including recognition through the American College Theater Festival.
In an industry defined by constant change, FIU Theatre graduates leave with more than specialized training. They leave with the versatility, initiative, and creative confidence to build careers, embrace new opportunities, and adapt wherever their artistic paths lead in this quickly and constantly evolving industry.
Bringing Productions to Life
Behind the scenes actions
The Wertheim provides a fully collaborative production environment in which students gain hands-on experience across a broad range of theatrical disciplines, including:
- Scenic, Lighting, and Sound Design
- Costume Construction and Design
- Stage Management and Production
- Dramaturgy and Direction
From rehearsal rooms and design studios to scene shops and backstage spaces, students learn by doing. They develop the technical expertise, creative problem-solving, and collaborative skills essential to careers across theatre, film, television, and live production.
Small class sizes foster close, one-on-one relationships with faculty who are active professionals in Miami and regional theatres across the country. Students benefit from direct mentorship grounded in both academic instruction and current professional practice.
Students train in a full-scale theatrical facility featuring cutting-edge scene and costume shops, a dedicated design studio, and a light lab equipped with current industry technology. These resources provide students with the tools and environment to develop their skills at a professional-caliber level.
A limited number of student designers are selected for mainstage productions, providing significant opportunities to see their designs move from concept to full realization before a live audience. These experiences allow students to engage with the complete collaborative production process while building a portfolio of realized professional work.
Department of Theatre Now
150+ Productions
Every year, FIU Theatre mounts 4 major productions at The Wertheim, spanning classical Shakespearean comedies, contemporary dramas, and massive musical spectacles. Over our 53 year history, we have produced over 150 shows including Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Fahrenheit 451, Twelfth Night and Little Shop of Horrors.
Accredited Excellence
As a fully accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST), our programs offer rigorous, professional-level training, with skills transferable to innumerable fields.
Award-Winning Stagecraft
Our students consistently dominate regional and national theater circuits. Over the last five years alone, FIU Theatre students have brought home over 54 prestigious awards and 7 elite scholarships from the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF) and the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT).