B R I E F   B I O
Michael is the founding Artistic Director of San Francisco StageWorks. He is an actor/director/educator foremost, but has also had success as a playwright and composer. With theatrical roots in Washington D.C. and Dallas, Texas – he has called the San Francisco Bay Area his home for the last twelve years and has been on stage or behind the scenes in productions with A.C.T., CalShakes, Theatre Rhinoceros, SF StageWorks, SFLyric Opera, and others. Michael holds a MFA in Acting from the University of California and a BA in Drama from San Francisco State University.

E X P A N D E D   B I O
Key Points:
   * MFA in Acting – BA in Drama – Professional Training with American Conservatory Theater
   * Community Based Theatre Company Artistic Director/Educator for 7 Years
   * 2+ Years of University Teaching
   * ArtsBridge Scholar and K-12 Certificated Substitute Drama Teacher
   * Professional Acting Credits – AEA and Non-AEA Stage, Film/TV, Voice Over
   * Directing Experience in Classical, Modern, and Musicals
   * Award Winning Playwright
   * Music Composer/Musical Theatre Writer – ASCAP Member

I am an actor/director/playwright/scholar/educator with a wealth of experience in all aspects of theatre performance, production, management, and education. I hold an MFA in Acting from the University of California, a BA in Drama from San Francisco State University and have studied extensively with the American Conservatory Theater. I am trained in or influenced by Stanislavsky, Meisner, Hagen, Linklater, Berry, Skinner, Laban, and Overlie/Bogart/Landau.

AS AN EDUCATOR:
I am comfortable and confident teaching a wide range of lecture and practical coursework including acting, directing, audition techniques, playwriting, musical theatre, dramatic literature/script analysis, theatre appreciation, theatre history, Shakespeare, voice, movement, and stage management. I have experience with curriculum building, course development, lesson-planning, student advisement/mentorship, grading/evaluation, and am always eager to direct departmental productions and oversee student-directed work, as well as participate in on and off campus functions as a departmental representative and advocate.

AS AN ACTOR:
My acting is rooted in realism and truthful interaction on stage. I have been trained in many approaches from many practitioners, but when instinct and intuition is not enough, I tend to return to many of the basic ideas Stanislavsky began documenting a century ago, along with bits and bobs of those who expanded on his work (Meisner, Hagen, and Adler to name a few). I strive to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances in every role I rehearse and perform. Professional affiliations with AEA, ASCAP, and am SAG-eligible.

AS A DIRECTOR:
I am currently championing a return to basics in my artistic aesthetic. I value fundamental storytelling principles and am grounded in modern theatre traditions, but my approach can slide into progressiveness – often utilizing technology, multimedia, and elements of performance art.

I founded non-profit theatre company in 2002. San Francisco StageWorks solicited new works from local writers, produced traditional plays and musicals as part of a regular production season, and offered a regular schedule of classes and focused workshops to community actors of all ages for more than seven years in the Bay Area. It is through the first-hand experience of producing, directing, promoting, funding, casting, designing, and administrating this company that informs much of who I am today and along with my extensive education, makes me a competent, well-rounded, valuable educator and collaborator in any academic or professional theatre environment.

AS A WRITER:
Writing is an important component of my career and is an aspect of my ongoing practice as research. I am currently writing Moments of Truth: Acting on Instinct, an intuitive approach to the study of acting. My primary scholarly research is based on early modern playwrights who have impacted social awareness and change, with acute focus on Ibsen, Shaw, and Miller. My secondary area of scholarship is based on Performing Gender through Storytelling. In addition to scholarly writing, my short play (A Mourning in April) was named one of 2007’s best new short plays at Ashland New Plays Festival, my full-length musical (The Ghost and Mrs. Muir) won a slot to attend the 2003 Musical Theatre Workshop hosted by ASCAP/Disney/Stephen Schwartz, and I have composed musical underscoring as well as sound designed several stage productions in the San Francisco Bay area.

Current CV and Resume are available on request.

The best method of contact is via email.