(highlights)
UNCLE VANYA/WESTON
aug/14: mike directs the annie baker adaptation of uncle vanya at weston playhouse in VT with campbell scott
and kathleen mcelfresh-scott
RUTGERS/MFA NEW PLAY
april/14: mike directs one of the graduating
mfa playwright’s thesis productions
ASSASSINS/PLAYMAKERS
march-april/14: mike returns to playmakers to direct ASSASSINS
CHERRY LANE MENTOR PROJECT/JEN SILVERMAN
jan-feb/14: mike directs jen silverman’s THE HUNTERS as part of the cherry lane mentor project; lynn nottage mentors
DENVER CENTER/MATTHEW LOPEZ
dec-jan/13-14: mike returns to denver center to direct the world premiere of matthew lopez’s drag queen comedy
THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE
ARS NOVA/SARAH BURGESS
nov/13: mike directs a 29 hour reading of sarah burgess’s new private equity finance play LIQUIDATION PLAY, with dylan baker, ben rappaport, jessica love and mike disalvo
SHAKESPEARE/NYU-ATLANTIC
sept-nov/13: mike returns to nyu-atlantic to direct the bfa actors in a production of as you like, staged in the round in atlantic’s stage II space
THEATREWORKS/LAURA MARKS
aug/13: mike directs readings of laura mark’s GATHER AT THE RIVER as part of theatrework’s 2013 new works festival
CHAUTAUQUA/COLIN MCKENNA
july/13: mike directs a staged workshop of colin mckenna’s DARK RADIO for chautauqua as one of their two new play workshops
EST YOUNGBLOOD/JEN SILVERMAN
june/13: mike directs a reading of a brand new play from jen silverman, WILD BLUE
CLUBBED THUMB/JEN SILVERMAN
april-june/13: mike directs jen silverman’s PHOEBE IN WINTER for clubbed thumb’s 2013 summerworks season at the wild project
PURCHASE/NEW PLAYS SHOWCASE
may/13: mike directs a showcase of ten-minute plays by the graduating BFA writers at SUNY-purchase as the culmination of a semester-long course he co-taught there with kathleen tolan on new play development for writers & actors
NYU/MUSICAL WORKSHOP
april/13: mike directs one of the ‘actor labs’ for NYU’s graduate musical theatre writing program
DENVER CENTER/MATTHEW LOPEZ
feb/13: mike will direct readings of matthew lopez’s THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE as part of the 2013 denver center new play summit
NYTW/ALEX LEWIN
jan/13: mike will direct a reading of alex lewin’s THE INTERVIEW with j. smith-cameron and charles socarides at NYTW
DENVER CENTER/GRACE
dec-jan/12-13: mike will return to denver center theatre company to direct the world premiere of lauren feldman’s GRACE, OR THE ART OF CLIMBING (mike and lauren were also at DCTC with GRACE as part of the 2011 new play summit)
FIGARO/NYU-ATLANTIC
oct-nov/12: mike directs THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO with the NYU-Atlantic students in Atlantic’s Stage II theatre
ETHAN LIPTON/CHERRY LANE
aug-oct/12: mike directs the premiere of ethan lipton’s THE RED-HANDED OTTER at the cherry lane
WILLIAMSTOWN/SAGAL FELLOWSHIP
june-aug/12: mike will develop and direct a new musical with janine nabers (book) and sharon kenny (music/lyrics), as the 2012 boris sagal fellow; performances will be at williamstown mid-august
O’NEILL/ADAM GWON & SARAH HAMMOND
june/12: mike directs readings of adam gwon and sarah hammond’s new musical STRING at the o’neill
CLUBBED THUMB/MAX POSNER
may/12: mike devises a short site-specific piece with max posner for clubbed thumb’s summerworks kickoff event
OPERA CONCERT/ENCANTA COLLECTIVE
may/12: mike directs a concert of scenes from CARMEN, MADAME BUTTERFLY, SIR JOHN IN LOVE, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, and a new piece by tom cipullo for the enCANTA collective
ETHAN LIPTON/PLAYWRIGHTS REALM
may/12: mike directs a reading of ethan lipton’s THE RED-HANDED OTTER for the playwrights realm at the wild project
MCC/ALEX LEWIN
april/12: mike directs a reading of alex lewin’s
THE INTERVIEW for MCC’s playlab series
CHICAGO OPERA THEATER/SHOSTAKOVICH
march-april/12: mike directs shostakovich’s MOSCOW, CHERYOMUSHKI for chicago opera theater -- a wonderfully fun satire about the 1950s russian housing crisis, with a newly commissioned libretto by meg miroshnik and the u.s. premiere of gerard mcburney’s reorchestrated score
DENVER CENTER/NEW PLAY SUMMIT
feb/12: mike directs readings of lauren feldman’s GRACE, OR THE ART OF CLIMBING for the 2012 new play summit at the denver center (mike also directed the 2008 ysd carlotta festival production of the play)
ETHAN LIPTON/PLAYWRIGHTS REALM
feb/12: mike workshops ethan lipton’s new play THE RED-HANDED OTTER with the playwrights realm; mike will also direct industry readings of the play this may
COLE HILL ESTATE/TERRA FIRMA
feb/12: mike returns to cole hill estate in the catskill mountains with terra firma for a five day winter retreat to develop several new projects, including a play inspired by milton and a rock musical inspired by goethe
SHAKESPEARE/PLAYMAKERS REP
dec-feb/11-12: mike returns to playmakers to
co-direct (with artistic director Joe Haj)
HENRY IV (parts 1 and 2) in rotating rep with HENRY V
visit playmakers repertory company
LARK/LILA ROSE KAPLAN
dec/11: lark roundtable reading of lila rose kaplan’s new play, ADRIAN, an adaptation of TARTUFFE about a female senator running for office and her new young ‘family values’ campaign manager
CLUBBED THUMB/LIBBY EMMONS
nov-dec/11: mike directs clubbed thumb workshop of libby emmon’s ZEROPIA (2009 clubbed thumb commission)
ERICA LIPEZ/READINGS
nov/11: erica lipez, on break from writing for USA’S SUITS, returns to NYC -- readings of BOTTLED UP with campbell scott, kathleen mcelfresh scott, will rogers, steve boyer, gayle rankin and george morfogen, of erica’s new play ICE DAYS with jennifer mudge, greg keller, christopher abbott, rebecca henderson, libby woodbridge, aaron michael davies, and joe tippett
FORDHAM/NEW ONE ACT
sept-oct/11: mike directs undergrad sean patrick monahan’s new one act THANK YOU, FIFTEEN at fordham for the undergraduate playwrighting department
STEPHEN LAUGHTON/TERRA FIRMA
oct/11: mike directs a reading of stephen laughton’s new play MARINA ABRAMOVIC IS STARING AT ME for terra firma, both at the cell and upstate in the catskills at the railroad playhouse -- stephen is currently a member of the royal court invitational writers group in london
EST YOUNGBLOOD/10 MIN PLAY FEST
sept-oct/11: mike returns to EST YOUNGBLOOD to work with writer jen silverman for EST’s ten minute play fest with 150 artists, ASKING FOR TROUBLE
click here for more on EST YOUNGBLOOD
JOSH CONKEL/OLD VIC NEW VOICES
sept/11: following the august retreat upstate to ryder farm, mike directs a reading of josh’s I WANNA DESTROY in one of the rehearsal rooms at playwrights horizons
ACTORS STUDIO/PLAYWRIGHTS DIRECTORS WORKSHOP
sept-may/11-12: mike is accepted into the playwrights directors workshop at the actors studio to develop rosary o’neill’s THE AWAKENING OF KATE CHOPIN
PLAYMAKERS REP/CHURCHILL
aug-sept/11: mike returns to playmakers repertory company
to direct caryl churchill’s A NUMBER as the opening production of their second stage season
OVNV/SPACE @ RYDER FARM
aug/11: mike and josh conkel are sponsored by old vic new voices and bloomingdales to work on josh’s new play I WANNA DESTROY YOU with some actors up on ryder farm for a few days
click here for a video about the retreat
ARS NOVA/MUSICAL WORKSHOP
july/11: mike directs a workshop of max vernon’s new musical WIRED for ars nova, stay tuned for more info!
SHAKESPEARE THEATRE NJ/TARTUFFE
june-july/11: mike directs the shakespeare theatre of new jersey’s next stage ensemble in a production of TARTUFFE that will tour around NJ for the rest of the summer
OLD VIC/LONDON
may-june/11: mike travels to london as part of the
old vic new voices us/uk exchange program,
to hold meetings and present new work
with writer janine nabers
click here for more information
CARLOTTA FESTIVAL/YALE
spring/11: mike returns to yale school of drama as a guest director to direct meg miroshnik’s THE TALL GIRLS for the annual carlotta festival of new plays
click here for more information/tickets
WORKING THEATER/CHAY YEW
march 21st/11: mike directs a reading of chay yew’s new play VISIBLE CITIES for working theatre
STUDIO 42/KIM ROSENSTOCK
early march/11: mike directs a reading of kim rosenstock’s 99 WAYS TO FUCK A SWAN for studio 42
PLAYMAKERS/KIM ROSENSTOCK
feb/11: mike heads back to playmakers rep in chapel hill NC to direct the PATP in
kim rosenstock’s 99 WAYS TO FUCK A SWAN
READING/GERMAN EMBASSY
jan/11: mike will direct a reading of rosary o’neill’s work at the german embassy on jan 31st -- for more information, visit us on the german embassy’s website
CRIES/CITY CENTER
dec/10: mike presents a workshop of CRIES AND WHISPERS at city center stage II with terra firma -- for more information, visit terra firma’s website
BERGMAN/CATSKILLS
nov/10: mike develops an adaption of bergman’s CRIES AND WHISPERS with terra firma theatre company on an estate in the catskill mountains -- for more information, click here
SOHO REP/WRITER-DIRECTOR LAB
oct-may/10-11: mike is a member of this year’s soho rep writer/director Lab, to work directly with playwright andy bragen -- stay tuned for all of our readings at soho rep in may! for more information, click here
RENT/YALE
sept-nov/10: the east village is dead. all welcome.
mike returns to yale to direct the dramat’s production of RENT, november 10-13 at the university theatre --
for tix: www.dramat.tix.com
LIPEZ/DRAMATISTS GUILD
sept/10: mike directs ten minutes of material from erica lipez’s newest play ICE DAYS with Sarah Steele, Josh Barrett and Erika Rolsfrud for the 2009-10 dramatists guild fellows showcase
PEÑA & RABINBACH/STUDIO
aug-sept/10: mike develops ‘i wonder if its possible to have a love affair that lasts forever or things i found on craigs list’ with writer christopher oscar peña and composer jake rabinbach (lead guitarist, francis and the lights) at the studio / nyc
ALALY & JACOBS-JENKINS/DUMBO
aug-nov/10: mike works with choreographer becca alaly and writer branden jacobs-jenkins on a new piece with two dancers and an actor for the DUMBO white wave festival
ROBBINS/WORKSHOP-READING
july-aug/10: mike directs a workshop-reading of carrie robbin’s medical vaudeville with sidebar songs, THE DEATH AND LIFE OF DR. CUTTER, at the snapple theatre
BERLIN/THEATERTREFFEN FELLOW
may/10: mike returns to berlin as a fellow of the theatertreffen international forum, one of 40 international fellows coming for several weeks of workshops, conferences, and theatertreffen performances --
for more information, click here
CHUCK MEE/WILD PROJECT
march-may/10: mike directs chuck mee’s BIG LOVE for the studio NYC, with a two week run at the wild project in late april/early may - click here for tickets!
SOLO/FAY SIMPSON
march-may/10: mike teams up with fay simpson and lauren feldman again to create the next in their series of lucid body portraits -- august, a 50 year old gay man who keeps it close to the bone will first be shown in early may, stay tuned!
ANIMALS/CLUB OBERON
april/10: mike directs THE ANIMALS, an electro-pop concert event based on the concept album of the same name by adam stone - live electronica, dancers and video art at club oberon in boston, april 9th - click here for more info!
FREEPLAY/NYU
feb-march/10: mike directs a new play by heather lind, A PRECARIOUS STOOL, for the nyu grad actors’ freeplay festival
STAIRS/A.R.T.
jan-feb/10: mike directs tennessee williams’s STAIRS TO THE ROOF at the A.R.T. institute as part of diane paulus’s AMERICA: BOOM, BUST AND BASEBALL series
THE COUPLING HEURISTIC/NYC
dec/09: mike directs lauren feldman’s THE COUPLING HEURISTIC for the drama league 2009 director fest - the piece will run along with work from the other three fall fellows in an off-broadway theatre in mid-december
PLAYMAKERS/AD
oct-nov/09: mike goes to playmakers rep in north carolina to assist co-directors joe haj (artistic director) and tom quiantance on a 6.5 hour production of NICHOLAS NICKLEBY - for more information, click here for the production blog!
BULLY/NYC
sept/09: mike directs erica lipez’s BULLY TO YOU v2.0 as a work-in-progress, with a new cast, at the walkerspace in NYC as part of a benefit for art.party
NYC/DRAMA LEAGUE FELLOWSHIP
aug-dec/09: mike moves to new york for the fall production program fellowship from the drama league director’s project; in addition to workshops and meet&greets, mike will assistant direct (productions tbd) and present work in the 2009 drama league directorfest (december)
click here for the more on drama league
BULLY/WTF
july-aug/09: mike directs BULLY TO YOU, a new play by erica lipez, at williamstown theatre festival - BULLY is a dark comedy somewhere between THE BREAKFAST CLUB and THE WARRIORS set to an early/mid 90s pop soundtrack -
click here for pics from the production!
EGG-LAYERS/WTF
june-july/09: mike directs THE EGG-LAYERS, a new play by lauren feldman, at williamstown theatre festival - EGG-LAYERS is a fantastical and fragmented rewriting of the leda myth about the need to find a god that looks just like us -
click here for pics from the production!
WILLIAMSTOWN/AD
june-aug/09: mike assists dylan baker on george kelly’s THE TORCH-BEARERS with a cast that includes becky ann baker and tony award-winner andrea martin; while at WTF, mike will also direct two pieces
click here for more on the WTF 2009 season
HOUSTON/OPERA AMERICA CONFERENCE
april/09: mike presents work on AINADAMAR at opera america conference in houston
SPRING/TRAVELING
march-june/09: mike travels to krakow, bucharest, budapest, bratislava, vienna, straslund, rügen island, heidelberg, madrid, toledo, copenhagen, rothskilde fjord, malmö, alassio and nice
GREY/PRESENTATIONS
jan-feb/09: nyc presentations of GREY GONE hosted by michael howard studios and siti company - tour continues spring ’09
click here for more info & pics from the nyc premiere
STATES/RESIDENCY
jan/09: mike developes GREY GONE with fay simpson and lauren feldman at the university of the south in sewanee, TN (with support from the tennessee williams fellowship) - piece created in conjunction with the publication of fay’s new book on the lucid body - mike/lauren/fay also teach chakra-based workshop for university of the south undergrads
PRAGUE/WORKSHOP
dec/08: mike goes to prague for a workshop with
czech physical theatre company FARM IN THE CAVE:
AWARD/OPERA
nov/08: mike receives opera fund award to continue work on a production of golijov & hwang's AINADAMAR - production will be covered in an upcoming issue of OPERA AMERICA MAGAZINE and presented at an industry conference this spring -
click here for more (incl. video & pics) on the production!
BERLIN/FULBRIGHT
sept/08: mike begins his year in berlin on the fulbright;
click here for the productions he’s been seeing...