"Brilliant use of so many layers at once; in theater, in the process of creating theater, in the workshop, in making changes to the (university) landscape."
Performed by professional actors in real-time virtually or in-person, AWED Theater engages audiences of academic or medical administrators, faculty, students, and staff in interactive learning on a range of diversity, equity, and inclusion topics.
Jeffrey Steiger, the Creative Director of AWED Theater, has partnered with FIU’s Office to Advance Women, Equity, & Diversity to build this next generation of interactive, educational theater for FIU ADVANCE. Mr. Steiger is an Adjunct Instructor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences and was the founding/former artistic director of CRLT Players at the University of Michigan. He has presented his plays to over 100 academic institutions including Harvard, Stanford and the University of Nagoya, Japan.
The unique environment of FIU and Hispanic-serving geography of Florida institutions inspired AWED Theater’s dedication to highlighting intersectionality in its approach to theater and pedagogy. By drawing from real life experiences of faculty members, the theater allows participants to identify behaviors and unpack situations dynamics relevant to their everyday work life. Following a play, audiences are engaged in a highly interactive curriculum., that contribute to an adverse work environment, as well as being able to recognize how to act in order to create a more welcoming and inclusive work environment.