Biography
Jonathan Wentz was born and raised in in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York. He received his BFA in Graphic Design from Rochester Institute of Technology. After graduation, he moved to the New York City Metro region where he worked as a Designer and Art Director in corporate communications and advertising industries for 10+ years. He left corporate America to open his own independent design studio serving small businesses and non-profit arts organizations, as well as pursue arts education work as a university instructor. Having a life-long interest in the performing arts he began pursuing graduate studies in Theatre Design at Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts. During his tenure at MGSA, he interned at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Company in NYC and worked summers at Berkshire Theatre Group in MA.
Mr. Wentz earned his MFA in Drama (Scenography/Design & Production) with Honors at the University of North Carolina Greensboro's College of Visual and Performing Arts' School of Theatre, where he was a Graduate Assistant and teacher of record during his tenure, a finalist in the SETC Design Competition in two categories (winning third place for Costume Crafts in Millinery), and the recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Designer Award from the UNCG School of Theatre faculty,
Mr. Wentz is a proud member of IATSE/United Scenic Artists, Local 829 in the scenic design category. Notable artistic affiliations include: Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (NJ), Berkshire Theatre Group (MA), Adirondack Theatre Festival (NY), The Depot Theatre (NY), Two River Theatre (NJ), Cortland Repertory Theatre (NY), The Mentor Project at Cherry Lane Theatre (NY), Shadowland Stages (NY), Slant Theatre Company (NY), The Women's Theatre Company (NJ), TheatreWorks (CO), Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (CO), Oak Ridge Playhouse (TN), Mills Entertainments (CA), and Adirondack Studios (at Walt Disney World/Animal Kingdom/Pandora, FL).
Mr. Wentz works full-time as an independent art & design professional and arts educator. Creatively, he devotes his time as a scenographer while teaching design and production at The College of Charleston (SC). He resides in eastern South Carolina with his wife, Janine, where they operate their company, W DESIGN GROUP, LLC, which services clients in three disciplines: SCENOGRAPHY (scenery and costume design for theatre); PRODUCTION DESIGN (art direction, properties, and painting for live entertainment); and GRAPHIC DESIGN (print, digital and web).
Mr. Wentz earned his MFA in Drama (Scenography/Design & Production) with Honors at the University of North Carolina Greensboro's College of Visual and Performing Arts' School of Theatre, where he was a Graduate Assistant and teacher of record during his tenure, a finalist in the SETC Design Competition in two categories (winning third place for Costume Crafts in Millinery), and the recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Designer Award from the UNCG School of Theatre faculty,
Mr. Wentz is a proud member of IATSE/United Scenic Artists, Local 829 in the scenic design category. Notable artistic affiliations include: Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (NJ), Berkshire Theatre Group (MA), Adirondack Theatre Festival (NY), The Depot Theatre (NY), Two River Theatre (NJ), Cortland Repertory Theatre (NY), The Mentor Project at Cherry Lane Theatre (NY), Shadowland Stages (NY), Slant Theatre Company (NY), The Women's Theatre Company (NJ), TheatreWorks (CO), Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (CO), Oak Ridge Playhouse (TN), Mills Entertainments (CA), and Adirondack Studios (at Walt Disney World/Animal Kingdom/Pandora, FL).
Mr. Wentz works full-time as an independent art & design professional and arts educator. Creatively, he devotes his time as a scenographer while teaching design and production at The College of Charleston (SC). He resides in eastern South Carolina with his wife, Janine, where they operate their company, W DESIGN GROUP, LLC, which services clients in three disciplines: SCENOGRAPHY (scenery and costume design for theatre); PRODUCTION DESIGN (art direction, properties, and painting for live entertainment); and GRAPHIC DESIGN (print, digital and web).