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March 2024 by Carmen Lorena A.
Are Stage is a remarkable institution that has had a profoundly positive impact on my daughter's education. Through their exceptional musical theatre program, she has not only honed her performance skills but also developed crucial life skills. The dedicated instructors at Area Stage have nurtured her creativity, boosted her confidence, and taught her the value of hard work and discipline. I am immensely grateful to Area Stage for the enriching experience they have provided my daughter, and I wholeheartedly recommend their programs to any parent seeking to enrich their child's education through the performing arts.
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March 2024 by Nathalia Garcia
Witnessed Giancarlo R. speak to the crew with such disrespect on various occasions, he was extraordinarily rude and condescending.
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February 2024 by Y
The Oliver! musical was absolutely phenomenal! The immersive nature of the experience truly engulfed me, allowing me to feel every emotion, scene, and character struggle. Being both a spectator and a part of the stage was a highlight for me. Huge congratulations to the Area Stage Company; they've never failed to impress, consistently exceeding expectations with each performance.
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February 2024 by Daniel Negrete Banda
Every time I visit Miami, I make sure to stop by the theater; they have some of the best productions in the country. Highly recommended!
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September 2023 by Abby C.
My niece, once removed, and I have a very close bond. She is thinking of returning to the company for another show and I have have my reservations against it, due to her past experience. I assume she must struggle with her memory. I needed to jog it and I work better putting my thoughts in writing. So I typed this and thought why not grace the public with her experience so she always has something to refer to? ;) She has participated in several of the student productions, over the summer and during the school year. I happen to live in the same household as my niece (once removed) and we have made it a tradition that after a long day, we are to have our aunt and niece bonding pizza night. One fateful night, my lovely niece was unable to participate in pizza night. When she finally arrived home, I asked her how come she could not make it. She then began to cry, and described to me the HORRORS that she experienced at her production rehearsal. To begin, at this point in the process they were nearing the dates of the show, she explained that they have not even started blocking the second act of this show. This is a terrifying concept to me. She values her performances very highly as she wants to do this for a living. I am in disbelief of the example that the directors are allowing the kids to think this is okay. And to my understanding this is not a uncommon thing. I am sorry, let me clarify, THE SHOW OPENS IN A WEEK. This does not give the children enough time to get the flow of the show in their body. I understand if this is a one time thing, but this seems to be a pattern. This is unexceptble. After we cleaned up our plates from pizza night, I assumed that, hopefully, my niece had finally aired out all her concerns, and was feeling better. But, I noticed that she had gone quiet as she was looking at her phone. I asked her if there was anything wrong, and then she told me that apparently, there was a lot of in-fighting during this production. It breaks my heart that my lovely niece is having to experience this tough situation, and I believe that it says a lot about the environment that these kids are culminating in. The theater company apparently strives for a peaceful environment but the hostility displayed behind the curtain from student to student is nothing of the sort. The adults should create a more easy environment of students to bond in the production. Although they have not touched act two of the show, they have began costuming. My niece explained to me that she was experiencing what I know to be FAT SHAMING. And apparently, this wasn't even coming from other students, this was coming from adults. Adults who were in charge of running this production. My heart shattered for my niece. She isn't even fat. Since my niece is a strong, powerful young woman, she luckily was not affected by these words. But, I believe that a somebody of a bigger size, or perhaps someone with bigger insecurities, could be heavily affected by these comments. I will not talk about what they said in specifics, because that is unimportant, but it was most definitely fat shaming. I would know. It was on a similar level to comments I received from stereotypical mean girls in high school. It was a shocking new low. The end product was objectively good. It was filled was strong performances, and they clearly invested a lot of money and time into making sure everything look good. That being said, I believe that the inner turmoil of this production was not worth the wonderful end product. She might forget this horrendous experience, due to her shitty memory, but I will never forget the lonely nights that Ive spend eating pizza, alone.
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August 2023 by Irma F.
Just some instructive feedback.... not to bash the company or the effort. I went to see the Little Mermaid @ the AAC. I believe the artistic director lost touch with who the intended target audience is (very young children three- to seven-year-olds). The story line was convoluted and difficult to follow for adults alone. So many moving parts to the musical it was hard to keep track of what was going on. The length of the musical (more than 2 hours) was a bit too long for the young audience. Hopefully, in the future "less is more" will be considered for upcoming productions. Again, just some instructive feedback.... not to bash the company or the effort.
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August 2023 by Barbara Amaro
Saw Little Mermaid production with my grandkids. We all enjoyed it. Loved the interactive setting. Will be on the lookout for other shows by this company. Actors were incredible. Congratulations!
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April 2023 by 17kduerr
I began at Area Stage Company as a student in their Conservatory in 2014. Since then, other companies, schools and acting teachers have paled in comparison to the education I received at Area Stage. Additionally, their Mainstage productions are nothing short of extraordinary. If you are in Miami and want to see good theatre, ASC is the place to go.
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April 2023 by Barbette S.
My daughter has taken classes and done 2 summer camp productions and this conservatory is the real deal. Not only are they fantastic with kids, but their productions are innovative and impressive. From the student to professional route, they are pushing the limits and bringing arts to Miami on a level it needs, winning awards as they go. When she auditions they are kind and supportive. As she grows in this field, I'm grateful we started here and will continue with them in the future thanks to their kindness and what they bring to the table.
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March 2023 by Lisa Gory
Our son Matthew has been involved in Area Stage for the past two years and what a phenomenal experience this has been for he and our family. As an inspiring musical theatre kid the professional training with acting and singing has been amazing. The staff at ASC are like family to him and he has meet an amazing group of life long friends. 5 stars all the way for this amazing organization.
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March 2023 by Helen M.
If you want a true conservatory, this is it. The directors and the teachers get the absolute best out of the kids. It's incredible to watch how much the kids grow their talent each semester. Our son has been at ASC for three years now and has made incredible friends and learned not only acting, singing and dancing skills, but life skills. Bravo Area Stage!
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March 2023 by Isis Alexandra P.
Area Stage has helped me grow as an actor and an individual! Not only do they have a large range of great classes they never fail to put on an amazing show!
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January 2023 by Natalia M.
I am a university of miami student, who called in and asked if they were hiring for either a costume department or front desk position. Little did I know I was going to be expected to finish 10/20 garments and alterations in less than two hours. The owner, Maria, called me this morning and simply rushed and asked me multiple questions without letting me explain. She knew perfectly well I was a student-- she literally called me this morning at said "do you know how to sew and are creative?" and i was like yes... and she goes okay come in at noon with your own sewing machine... i had to go all the way back home to get my sewing machine, because one wasn't provided for me because their costume department is non existent and a sh*tshow. They gave me a box of thick CRAYOLA SIDEWALK chalk to work with the fabric and a very small desk in a closet sized room. No one knew where ANYTHING was-- there wasn't even an ironing board for me to use to iron the fabrics. I had to get up every 10 mins to find someone to ask where all the materials were. She never gave me an interview, orientation, dress code, or job requirements. She simply had me put in a closet and expect me to do alterations in an instant without a proper set up. There was old glue on the desk I was working with, dried up clorox wipes she expected me to clean with, and NO fabric scissors at all... only craft scissors filled with glue/tape gunk. There were no weights for the fabrics to cut. One of her workers told me to cover up because there was a dress code I never was mentioned about. I decided to stick it threw and told them I'll be back after my class... I texted Maria asking for negotiation/clarification on my hourly rate since this morning I mentioned my job now pays me $15/hour and she quickly shut me up before I had a chance to continue and said "OKAY 15 will do. Come in at 12 after you go back to your house and get your sewing machine" I don't know what they treat their customers like but if they're treating their staff like this it's disgusting. She even talks to other workers in there with the nastiest attitude (not sure if she's aware of how unprofessional or rude she is) but she snaps at a lot of her workers for doing jobs they're definitely not required to do since from my knowledge theres no other costume technicians/seamstresses. If she wanted to know more about my qualifications she should have actually interviewed me instead of rushing me to the back to do her dirty work for production costumes due in 10 days (I told her I was a full time student on the phone) and . She rushed me to the back and sat me down on a wobbly 2 ft square table and told me to go to the bathroom to roll up paper tissue to stick under one of the legs to have it "balance better" after I asked for a different table. This is just absolutely the worst experience I've had in theatre and it was a very short one. If you're into Costume Design or Technician work-- please don't apply here, there's definitely a reason why they don't have any costume workers... Watch her try and argue with me just like she argues with her other customers who leave a bad review on yelp here..
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December 2022 by Vanessa J.
The best experience!!!! A must try for anyone! Incredibly fulfilling. The heart of this team is captivating
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August 2022 by Joseph Paz
Area Stage is the best place to be because I love acting singing and dancing with my friends and put on a show for the families. I love ITP the best program ever I been in ITP program for many years and been in many ITP production for many years. Being in ITP it give me a opportunity to start my acting career and hope it get me to broadway and get theater scholarship. Thank you area stage for so many memories and so many experience. Looking forward to the next production.
