Faculty/ Staff

‌Departmental Chair

Jennifer A Burke

Professor
Chair for Theatre Arts

(305) 284-8394
Jennifer Burke's recent projects include performing at the Kennedy Center in the prize-winning, Jasper Lake by John Kuntz and serving as voice/accent coach for the New England premiere of David Hare's Stuff Happens. She received her MFA from Brandeis University and has worked in the greater Boston...

Faculty

Edgar Miguel Abreu

Lecturer

(239) 634-7228
Dominican-American teaching artist, Edgar Miguel Abréu, has appeared numerous times on stage throughout Florida since 2012. In fall 2024, Mr. Abréu celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month by performing a series of recitals of Latin American Art Songs in South Florida, followed by his anticipated New York City debut at the...

Jessica Bashline

Asst. Professor

(305) 284-5677
Jessica is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Miami, where she teaches acting, directing, and theater creation. She was the Artistic Director and co-founder of Strange Sun Theater, a theater company in New York City dedicated to creating magical new theater that ignites in audiences and artists the power of possibility....


John Berst

Assoc. Professor Prof Practice

John serves as a faculty member in the University of Miami Department of Theatre Arts, where he teaches several courses in performance, history, and musicianship. John has directed, music directed, and acted throughout the Northeast, the Midwest, New York City, and Canada, including professional productions of...

Michael Bush

Asst. Professor Prof. Practice

(305) 284-4986
Michael Bush directed the Off Broadway productions of Himself and Nora, Bikeman, Psycho Therapy, Cactus Flower, and Based on a Totally True Story. He was the co-creator of Leslie Uggams’ Uptown Downtown at the Pasadena Playhouse which won the Los Angeles Drama Critics...

Ramanjaneyulu Doosari

Asst. Professor

(305) 284-5684
Ramanjaneyulu Doosari is a distinguished Actor Trainer, Director, and Practitioner-Researcher with sixteen years of extensive experience in the performing arts across India, the UK, UAE, and China. He joins the University of Miami with a rich background, having previously course-led Acting and Movement at Sharjah Performing Arts Academy and led...

Anjane Cecilia Girwarr

Lecturer

(305) 284-4474
Born and raised in Miami, FL, Anjane Girwarr is on her tenth year as a musical theatre voice instructor for the University of Miami, with several students currently in National Broadway Tours. Anjane is the creator of Music that Moves: yoga designed for singers and music teachers. She spent past summers in the Venetian...

Michael Anthony Harris

Musical Accompanist

(305) 284-4474
Born in Guyana, South America, Concert & Collaborative Pianist, Michael Anthony Harris began studying piano performance at the age of five, under the direction of Victoria Freyberg. At 16 years of age, Michael won the BACA Competition in New York City, with W_i_n_n_e_r_s_’ _performance at...

Danny Hernandez

Lecturer

(305) 926-1847
Danny Hernandez is an award-winning professional actor and a South Florida native. Professional credits include: The Caretaker (Mick), Intimate Apparel (Mr. Marks), Frankenstein (Victor Frankenstein), and the 20th Anniversary Production of Anna in the Tropics (Cheché). His short film Culpa, streaming on MAX, earned him a best actor...

Jordan Jones

Lecturer

(305) 284-5659
Jordan “J.J.” Jones received her Master of Fine Arts in Stage Management and a Certificate in College Teaching at the University of Iowa. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Carson-Newman University. In addition to her educational accomplishments, Jordan has a diverse professional background in regional theatres,...

Kevin M Kennison

Assoc. Professor Prof Practice

(305) 284-4488
Kevin Kennison is a Director, Producer, Educator, Independent Casting Director, Freelance Director, Master Acting Teacher and Coach, and Career Consultant. Kevin has an extensive background in performing, directing, producing, and teaching. Based in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, he has cast for Broadway, National and International Tours,...

Michiko Kitayama Skinner

Assoc. Professor

(305) 284-3384
Originally from Tokyo, Japan, Michiko has worked in theatre for over 25 years and designed scenery and costumes for theatres, including the Utah Shakespeare Festival, Asolo Repertory Theatre, and Miami New  Drama. She has assisted renowned designers such as Paul Tazewell, Martin Pakledinaz, and Dana...


Christine Mazeppa

Lecturer

Christine Mazeppa is a teaching artist and choreographer based in Miami, Florida. Before joining the University of Miami Theater Arts faculty, she taught dance and language arts to high school students for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She completed her undergraduate work in dance at Point Park University...

Maha McCain

Asst. Professor

(305) 284-5657
Maha McCain, originally from St. Louis, MO, received an M.F.A. in acting from Ohio University and spent a year in residence at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the winner of the 2004 Tony Award for Best Regional Theatre. She has worked as a professional actor for the past ten years, including credits with Universal...

Thomas Meacham

Assoc. Professor

(305) 284-6910
Dr. Thomas Meacham has previously served as the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies for the University of Connecticut’s School of Fine Arts and the Arts Center Director for Lake Superior State University. He has been the principal investigator on several national grants to promote Indigenous Studies and native artist residencies,...

Michael Dean Morgan

Lecturer

Michael Dean Morgan specializes in Voice and Speech, Acting, and Acting for the Camera. In 2022, he won the Voice and Speech Review’s Award for Outstanding Vocal Scholarship from VASTA and is a certified Knight Thompson Speechwork instructor. As a performer, he was seen on Broadway in Amazing Grace as well as Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins...

Kelly Gabrielle Murphy

Lecturer

Kelly Gabrielle Murphy is a voice teacher and accomplished musical theatre performer. She has played some of the most iconic roles in the musical theatre canon. Kelly starred as Tzeitel in the Broadway First National Tour of Fiddler on the Roof, directed by Tony Award Winner Bartlett Sher. She toured with Fiddler on the Roof for over 700...

Brandon M. Newton

Asst. Professor Prof. Practice

A Michigan native, Brandon has designed scenery and properties regionally and internationally, including Actors’ Playhouse, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Ohio Light Opera, ZACH Theatre, and Yaya Youth Theatre in Shenzhen, China. Notable productions include Caroline or Change, Sweet Goats &...

Pablo A. Souki

Senior Lecturer

(305) 284-3353
Pablo Souki is originally from Caracas, Venezuela, where he was a founding member of the KST Project Theater Company. He graduated with a degree in Electronics Engineering from Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, before deciding to pivot and go into technical theater instead. He was...

David N Williams

Senior Lecturer

(305) 284-5696
NDavid Williams is the co-founder and musical director of Music Theater Italy.  Mr. Williams is a well-known classical pianist and accompanist who has worked throughout this country and in Europe. He has performed with numerous ballet companies throughout the world and was host of his own morning Classical music radio show. His...

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