Michael was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama as a student and lover of the arts. Growing up in a magnet school program, Michael studied theater all the way through school, taking him to Minneapolis in 2015 where he received his degree from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program. Along the way, he picked up different disciplines in the arts to complement his craft in theater including writing, photography, and music. In college, Michael had his first experiences with arts education as a Teaching Artist and Camp Counselor with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in 2016. He would then take the passion he gained from that opportunity to the Northern California School of the Arts where he served as a Teaching Artist at the height of the global pandemic and lockdown. These opportunities and more not only gave Michael the will to seek out ways to combine his commitment to creativity and passion for education, ultimately empowering the generation of young people to come after him, but also brought him to his new home at Project Success in Fall 2024. Michael is honored to be a part of this team and dedicated to serve this community.
Favorite musicians:
Stevie Wonder, Musiq Soulchild, Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem
If you had to pick a theme song that would play every time you entered the room, what would it be?
What You Won’t Do For Love x Bobby Caldwell
Favorite books:
The Alchemist, The Spook Who Sat By the Door
Favorite movies:
Paid in Full, Good Burger, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Favorite food:
A good ol’ ribeye, breakfast foods, sandwiches
Favorite quote:
“Can’t complain.”
Favorite subjects in school:
English, History
Favorite theater experience:
Getting to perform on Shakespeare’s Globe, producing an award-winning for for MN Fringe, seeing my first show on the Guthrie Thrust stage, shedding tears at the opening night of a great show my friend wrote.
The most influential person in your life/favorite teacher or mentor:
My siblings—the funniest, coolest, smart(ish)est people I know.
What you wanted to be when you grew up:
A baseball player, then a famous Hollywood actor.