Our Story
Founded in 2021, Miami Theatre Works is a semi-professional summer theatre group with the goal of providing performance and technical theatre opportunities to artists. Currently MTW has no permanent home, but enjoys exploring the many performance spaces and collaborating theaters that fits the needs of each unique production.
Michael Stoddard
MICHAEL STODDARD, Executive Director, has been a resident of Miami, Florida since 2016 where he directs regionally and works full time as the Director of Theatre at Palmer Trinity School. Previously he lived in Milwaukee and Chicago where he directed and choreographed over thirty productions in eight years and was a five time winner of the Wisconsin Musical Theater Competition for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Direction. He was also the creator and Executive Director of Community Theatre Works, one of Milwaukee’s largest educational summer theatre programs today. In the last eighteen years he has directed and choreographed over seventy productions with theater organizations all over the world including Split Stage Productions in Pittsburgh, Jean’s Playhouse in Lincoln, Dream Big in Chicago, Interlakes Summer Theatre in New Hampshire, ShangKat in Shanghai and ProArte Civic Theater in Puerto Rico. When not directing Michael enjoys performing nationally. Recent credits include: Albin in La Cage Aux Folles, (Interlakes Summer Theatre), Jeff in Title of Show, (LCT), Jerry in The Full Monty, (GCT), Lord Farquaad in Shrek, (ETC), Jamie in The Last Five Years, (All In Productions), Princeton/Rod in Avenue Q, (Split Stage Productions and GCT) and Leo Frank in Parade (GCT). michaeldavidstoddard.com
Directing Philosophy
Directing is finding the balance between exploration and organization. It is communicating clear expectations and responsibilities, while allowing creative freedom and independence. Theatre is an exceptionally collaborative art form, bringing physicality, emotions, intellect and spirit together in a dynamic way. An effective director understands this interplay and creates an emotional, entertaining and artistic experience for the audience. However, an extraordinary director provides the same experience, but with innovation and courageous imagination. As John F. Kennedy said, "If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him." As the director, I am responsible for not only connecting the audience to the story and experience, but for creating an artistic vision that challenges and inspires the production team, actors and audience. Theatre should nourish our creativity and do so with bold invention and originality.
Why Miami Theatre Works
Growing up on the east coast, I was blessed to gain performance and directing experience in an area where regional and summer stock theater companies were abundant. Every week there were theaters looking for actors, directors, choreographers and designers. In 2008 I relocated to the Milwaukee / Chicago area to work full time at a private school while continuing to perform and direct regionally. I again landed in an area of the country with a high volume of theater companies per capita and found that theatre professionals who wanted to work had an abundance of opportunities to audition and apply for. I was happy there and worked often, but In 2016 I began to search for a warmer climate with a more diverse community, and decided to relocate to Miami which was an exciting but difficult challenge for a lot of reasons. Although I love the culture of this great city, I was surprised and disappointed by the amount of theater that existed for local professionals compared to the high population of the area. In 2019 I began to seriously weigh the pros and cons of the idea of starting a small summer theater company. Starting a theater company anywhere is a gamble, but I love this city and believe that with the right people it can work. Miami is full of artists waiting for opportunities. All we need is more business-minded theatre professionals willing to take risks and the artists and patrons will come.
Why Now?
As George Bernard Shaw said, “Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable.” We have finally turned the corner on the “crude reality” of the pandemic, so there is no better time than the present to reach out to the Miami community with a new theater company. We have mourned the loss of live theater for a year and I am honored to be a small part of reconnecting our community with the power of the arts. I hope this is the first of many shows I can offer Miami artists and patrons each summer.