Miami Immersive Intensive returns for a second edition this June

Immersive performance is rewriting the rules of how stories are told - and the artists, producers, and creative leaders shaping that movement now have a place to train, grow, and build. Juggerknot Theatre Company - the force behind Miami Motel Stories, Miami Bus Stop Stories, and over a decade of groundbreaking immersive and site-specific work - and Live Arts Miami - a powerhouse presenter behind three decades of bold, genre-defying work that reimagines audience-artist relationships - are back with the Miami Immersive Intensive (MII).

This year, MII also introduces a landmark new addition: the Miami Immersive Summit - a full fourth day open to a wider audience, presented in partnership with South Florida PBS and The Immersive Experience Institute, featuring keynotes, industry panels, and conversations with the artists and innovators shaping the future of the form.

Among the first confirmed Summit speakers: Andrew Scoville and Heidi Boisvert of Theater of the Mind - the groundbreaking immersive experience created by David Byrne, co-created with Mala Gaonkar, and hailed by The New Yorker as “an ambitious addition to the genre of immersive art” - and Asher Young, Executive Producer and Creative Director of Masquerade, the new immersive take on The Phantom of the Opera currently generating buzz in New York. The full Summit lineup is to be announced soon.

Image: Miami Immersive Intensive

MII is on a mission: to position Miami as a national leader in immersive training and creation — building long-term support networks for emerging and mid-career artists while opening the door to performers, directors, designers, producers, and presenters ready to push their practice into new territory. Taking place June 4th to 7th, 2026 at Miami Dade College's Wolfson Campus, MII 2026 delivers four days of hands-on workshops, industry conversations, and curated cultural experiences — bringing the world's leading immersive practitioners directly to Miami's doorstep.

Juggerknot Theatre Company's Miami Bus Stop Stories

Tanya Bravo, Artistic Director at Juggerknot Theatre Company, comments:

For too long, Miami artists have had to leave their city to access world-class training in immersive performance. That changes here. The Miami Immersive Intensive exists to bring that conversation - and that opportunity - home

Kathryn Garcia, Executive and Artistic Director at Live Arts Miami, adds:

Immersive performance asks artists to think differently - about space, audience, and connection. Investing in the next generation isn't just about training. It's about trusting them to experiment, take risks, and build the future of this field.

This year, MII goes bigger - with 12+ world-class teaching artists descending on Downtown Miami for three days of immersive training unlike anything available in the region. The program opens with a keynote by Jennine Willett, Co-Artistic Director of Third Rail Projects - the New York company behind the long-running hit Then She Fell - exploring how narrative serves as the infrastructure of transformative experience.

Third Rail Project's Then She Fell. Photo: Dariel Sneed

Joining her is David Feiner, co-founder of Albany Park Theater Project, who, together with Willett, will lead a workshop on the making of their critically acclaimed collaboration, Port of Entry - shared publicly for the first time.

Returning to MII is Mikhael Tara Garver, founder of Culture House Immersive and director of Disney's THEA Award-winning Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. Zach Morris, fellow Co-Artistic Director of Third Rail Projects, Brandon Powers, Lincoln Center Collider Fellow and XR choreographer, Sadah Espii Proctor, Director of Immersive Media at South Florida PBS, Miami playwright Juan C. Sanchez of Miami Motel Stories, and Abraham Burickson, co-founder of Odyssey Works and author of the Yale University Press book on Experience Design, round out an extraordinary roster. And joining virtually: Casey Jay Andrews of Punchdrunk - designer of Viola's Room and The Burnt City - for an exclusive deep-dive into the Punchdrunk design process.

Albany Park Theatre Project's Port of Entry

Noah Nelson, Founder, No Proscenium & The Immersive Experience Institute, comments:

For immersive experiences to have a future, the most experienced practitioners of today have to share their knowledge with the next generation of makers. This is exactly what will happen at the Miami Immersive Intensive and the Summit that will follow it. The future has to be built beat by beat — and that's what Juggerknot Theatre Company and Live Arts Miami are doing.

Sadah Espii Proctor, Director of Immersive Media, South Florida PBS, comments:

South Florida PBS is proud to be part of this conversation. We are committed to growing a dynamic XR and immersive community across South Florida — and MII is exactly the kind of gathering that makes that possible. When we bring trust, empathy, and innovation together in the same room, that's where the future of storytelling gets built.

Explore the full schedule and program details at www.miamiimmersiveintensive.com.