Welcome to the Department of Theatre Arts


*Welcome !* I am pleased your search has brought you to this site. I know you will find a great deal of information here that will help you whether you are deciding to join us for years of training or an evening at the theater. It was very important for you to find a faculty, student body, environment, and philosophy that "fit" with your talents and dreams as you decide which college to attend. Much of what has attracted me to this program is likely to attract you:	The cast of SHOWTUNE: celebrating the words and music of Jerry Herman
University of Miami Theatre is strictly an undergraduate training program. Our students study directly with Professors, not graduate assistants. Our Professors remain active in the profession working in the country's leading regional theaters, in New York, and in film and television. Our students do not take a back seat to graduate students in casting, design assignments, directing opportunities, or in research opportunities. Our student to teacher ratio is very low, offering the kind of personal attention one associates with traditional theatrical mentorship. We know that the keystone to a superior education is an excellent student/mentor relationship. First-rate productions are a part of our over-all curriculum. All of our programs contribute to fully produced seasons at our Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, one of Southern Florida's most respected cultural centers. Additional projects are mounted in our fully equipped studio theater. We have a long and impressive record of alumni success which you can see on our "Alumni Biography" page. This is an important and supportive professional community. The University of Miami is in one of the nation's most beautiful cities, Coral Gables. This lush tropical setting supports an equally lush professional arts community and a vibrant multi-cultural population. In recent years, the world entertainment industry has shifted focus from traditional professional centers to Southern Florida. Noted in Premiere magazine as one of the nation's new film centers, the greater Miami area offers students real world experience with the best of the entertainment industry. We have equal commitment to our Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts students. We have an impressive roster of visiting artists and professionals.
A Bachelor of Arts Theater major receives experience in all the elements of the theater: acting, directing, technical design and production, dramatic structures, and the role of the audience as critic and consumer. These areas are enriched with study of dramatic literature, history, and a sense of the great movements in human thought and action. Additionally, the BA student experiences the breadth of the traditional Liberal Arts study. This undergraduate degree in theater serves the student as a broad base for any career choice and for advanced graduate study.
Singer - Song Writer JOHN MAYER with students during a Master Class at the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre See It By Clicking Here	A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater offers more depth in the selected area of study and, perhaps, not quite as much breadth. This degree embraces its intention, which is professional preparation. While it is difficult to teach the artistic impulse or talent, it is important to provide students with the means to access their native talent through craft. A graduate of our BFA programs should expect to have been offered the skills that will make her/him competitive in the profession as it exists today.
In the end, your best college experience will depend on the "fit" of mentorship, environment, opportunity and your unique talents and dreams. Now that you have visited us on the web, I hope you will visit us in person and see first hand why so many prominent actors, directors and designers have found their best fit at the University of Miami. I look forward to meeting you! Sincerely, Vincent J. Cardinal, Chairman Department of Theatre Arts

Amanda Averill '08 sings "In The Steps of Champions" on NBC Evening News Report. Also Honorary Doctorate Recipient Angela Lansbury and UM Commencement set by faculty member Michiko Kitayama Skinner.

Student Q&A

with

Angela Lansbury

Department Press

click on images

Alumni News

Department of Theatre Arts
University of Miami
P.O. Box 248273
Coral Gables, FL 33124-4820
Phone: 305.284.4474
Fax: 305.284.5702
Email: theatredepartment@miami.edu

Sincerely,

Vincent J. Cardinal, Chairman

Department of Theatre Arts