She never got her opening night, until now

Sophie Wertz’s final bow comes full-circle.

Cast as a high school student, her production was canceled by COVID-19 before opening night. Now, years later, she returns to the same musical for her final performance.

Wertz, a senior theater major minoring in musical theater, takes the stage as one of the leads this spring in Miami University’s production of “Into the Woods” as the Baker’s wife. She has served as assistant recruitment chair for the Chi Omega sorority and has participated in numerous Stage Left productions — the university’s student-run theater organization. Additionally, she has undertaken roles in assisting directing and choreographing.

After graduation, Wertz will continue her training at the competitive and prestigious Michael Howard Studios Acting Conservatorship in New York City — the longest running acting studio in New York — where she will complete a year-long focus on professional acting techniques for industry mentorship.

Director of this year’s show “Into the Woods” and close mentor Madsie Flynn wrote in an email to The Miami Student that Wertz stands out not only for her talent, but for her presence in the room.

“Sophie is one of those rare actors who is as kind and generous in the room as she is talented,” Flynn said. “I’m pretty selfishly glad we’ll get to work together on more theater in New York soon.”

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Amid the buzz of dress-rehearsals and choreography, Wertz said it can be easy to forget how far she’s come. At seven years old, her love for performance sprung with her first line, “meow,” in her sister’s production of Snow White, which she had begged to be a part of. She played the “evil queen’s cat” — a role they created just for her.

Wertz said she has to pinch herself sometimes as she looks back and reflects on all she’s accomplished. With the conclusion of her final collegiate production, Wertz will have performed in at least 16 productions, appearing in shows every semester of both her high school and college careers, not including additional work outside of school.

Beyond the stage, Wertz said theater shapes how she leads.

“My background in theater provided me to be a leader,” Wertz said. “Public speaking and engagement, [and] getting energies up in rooms.”

That sense of leadership, she said, comes naturally from wanting to create the environments she needed as a first-year, resolving to never make anyone feel small or out of place.

As she prepares to enter a field defined by uncertainty, Wertz said her passion keeps her grounded. She pushes back against the idea of the starving artist, in persistent dedication to prove she can do it and extend the support her family has given her .

“They say to market yourself as a certain typecast,” Wertz said. “But I also think that can hurt you, because you’re limiting what you’re capable of.”

Harboring a first-year fear of failure, she clung to a piece of advice one of her professors gave her: “Get out of your head.”

Acting, she learned, goes beyond performance. Letting go of the insecurities tied to perception — such as the expression on her face or the sound of her voice — has allowed her to be present and fully immersed in the character.

“You just start existing,” Wertz said. “Let the lines take you where they need to.”

hippekl@miamioh.edu