MEET OUR Current
MFA Graduate students!
MFA Theatre Performance Class of 2026
Carson Carter
Carson Carter is a graduate student in the MFA Theatre Performance program here at FAU. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI. He was most recently working in the Chicago area. He spends his free time cooking, playing video games, and relaxing by the beach or pool. Being from northern Minnesota he never anticipated living in south Florida but is enjoying it immensely and is extremely grateful to be a part of the program here at FAU. Instagram: @CarsonTCarter
Karen Cohen
Karen Cohen is excited to be joining this year’s cohort of MFA students. Regional credits: Clara in Memphis, Maggie Jones in 42nd Street and Molly MacGregor in The Full Monty (LPAC); Nun/Ensemble in Sister Act (MNM); Steffy in I Ought to Be in Pictures (WBTC); and Fräulein Kost in Cabaret (PPTOPA). Karen previously worked as a drama teacher and has directed many student productions, including Willy Wonka, Shrek, Seussical and The Wizard of Oz. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education and English from La Salle University in her hometown of Philadelphia, PA, though she has called South Florida home for twenty-six years. Outside of the theater, Karen enjoys maintaining her Wordle streak, and traveling with her husband and three children.
Sadie Corley
Sadie is thrilled to be joining FAU's MFA Performance program. In May 2024 she graduated from Wagner College on Staten Island, NY with her BA in Theater Performance. Sadie has most recently been in Wagner College Theater's productions of Plano (Anne), Songs for a New World (Woman #2), Cabaret (Kit Kat Girl swing), and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Lysander). In recent summers past, Sadie performed in her home state of Colorado at Arvada Center for the Arts' educational productions of Chicago (Velma Kelly) and Sweeney Todd (ensemble). She recently directed a production of Hamlet at Wagner and the short play, Seam Route, at the 2023 International Human Right's Festival in NYC. You can follow her on instagram @sadiecorley.
Jakari Dozie
Jakari is a first-year MFA candidate from Miami, Florida. In the spring of 2024, he graduated from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance. During his time at FAMU, he starred in several notable productions, including Calming The Man, Sweet Mama Stringbean, The Waiting Room, Romeo & Juliet: A Miami Love Story, Two Trains Running, and Pipeline.
Gustavo Garcia
Robert Koutras
Off-Broadway- Sessions (Original Cast), Tours- Full Monty, Grease. Selected Regional Credits include Daniel’s Husband (Daniel) at Plays of Wilton. Cabaret (Ernst Ludwig) & Next To Normal (Dr. Madden) (Carbonell nom.) at Zoetic Stage, Bonnie & Clyde (Clyde), Camelot (King Arthur), Rock of Ages (Lonny) & Bright Star (Jimmy Ray Dobbs) at TheatreZone. Love! Valour! Compassion! (Gregory) & Rotterdam (Josh) at Island City Stage. Head Over Heels (Basilius) at Slow Burn, Mamma Mia! (Bill) at The Wick. Parade (Leo Frank) (Carbonell nom.) & How To Succeed… (Bud Frump) at Broward Stage Door. Fun Home (Bruce Bechdel), & Matilda (Miss Trunchbull) at Spotlight Repertory Theatre. Annie Get Your Gun (Frank Butler) (New Hampshire Theatre Award nom.), Shrek (Shrek), & Les Misérables (Thénardier) at Weathervane Theatre. Beauty and the Beast (Gaston) & The Wizard of Oz (Tinman) at Northern Stage. Film and Television Credits include Nickelodeon’s Team Umizoomi, and I Remember, an independent short film currently in the festival circuit. His original musical, The End, is currently in development. AEA. BFA Ithaca College. www.robertkoutras.com
Jonathan Palmer
Jonathan Leslie Palmer is a dynamic and dedicated actor with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Morehouse College. His passion for the stage ignited in middle school when he won the award for Most Comedic Actor at the Folger Shakespeare Theater Festival for his portrayal of Bottom in "A Midsummer Night’s Dream". This early success set the stage for a flourishing career in theater, where he has since brought to life a range of compelling characters, from the authoritative Lord Capulet to the soulful Reverend Lee in August Wilson’s "The Piano Lesson". With each performance, Jonathan continues to captivate audiences with his energy, versatility, and unwavering commitment to his craft.
Paige Rogers
Paige Rogers (she/her) is a versatile, committed artist with experience in acting, managing, directing, and producing theatre. Paige has been involved in theatre education since 2009 and holds a B.A in Arts Administration and Theatre from Drury University. She then attended The Actors Conservatory in Portland. Paige was the Managing Director of Staged! and a member of Defunkt Theatre. She is the Founder/Artistic Director of Small Umbrella Theatre Company. Some acting credits include Crimes of the Heart (Tent Theatre), Me...Jane (Oregon Children's Theatre), The Journal of Ben Uchida (Oregon Children's Theatre), Map of Virtue (Theatre Vertigo), Girl in the Red Corner (Defunkt Theatre), She is Fierce (Enso Theatre Ensemble), and The Amish Project (TAC). Instagram: @paigerogersactor
Casey Venema
Casey Venema is a performer, director, and intimacy director (certification pending) focused on bringing unheard and experimental narratives to the stage. She received her BA in Theatre and Film and Media from Bucknell University and has been working professionally in Northeast Ohio since 2018. Recent performance credits include White Christmas (Betty Haynes), Jesus Christ Superstar (Pilate), Anything Goes (Reno Sweeney), What's Wrong With Me (Mezzo 1), Jacket of Blue (Francesca), Sweeney Todd (Pirelli), School of Rock (Ms. Bingham/Patty U/S), A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder (Miss Barley/Woman 3), Cabaret (Fritzie/Fraulein Kost), The Twelfth Night (Sebastian), The Rocky Horror Show (Janet), Sanzaru (Morgan), and When Push Comes to Shove (Hanka). Follow along with Casey's artistic adventures at www.caseyvenema.com or on Instagram @caseyvenem8.
Josh Wilde
Josh Wilde was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. He graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Ithaca College in 2019. Select professional and educational theater credits include Beauty and the Beast (Lefou), for which he won an Artie for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical," The Importance of Being Earnest (Jack), Angels in America (Louis), The Aleph Complex (Borders Guy), Sunday in the Park with George (Franz/Dennis), and Ragtime (Henry Ford/Ensemble). Josh recently served as Secretary for the "Association of Regional Theatre Artists of Western New York" (ARTA).
MFA Tech/Design Candidates
Natalia Burmeister
Aurora Colamonici
Harmon Casey
Jason Goetz-Stern
(He/Him) is a first-year MFA candidate in Design and Technology concentrating in Technical Direction. He graduated from FAU in History. He worked as a technician and carpenter at Delray Beach Playhouse on various productions including, Somethings Afoot, Noises Off, and Grease. He also helped with the set construction for Lauderdale Performing Arts productions of Its Always Patsy Cline and 42nd Street.