Michael has been involved in some aspect of theatre for as long as he can remember, from singing in church musicals as a child to joining his friends when they needed help on the stage crew in high school. After starting off as a sound designer in high school, he changed his focus to lighting design in college and has never looked back. He grew from someone who showed up to help out into the main lighting designer in his university in the span of three years, assisting older students and teaching younger students along the way. This interest turned into a passion that he wanted to follow and turn into a career. 

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Michael obtained his M.F.A. in Lighting Design and Technology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He completed his undergraduate career at Salisbury University in Maryland. 

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Michael served as the Master Electrician for the Adirondack Theatre Festival during their 2019 season, working on new plays and musicals with lighting designers Jeffrey Small, Chelsie McPhilimy, and Siobhan Sleath.

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Michael was the Resident Lighting Designer & Lighting Department Supervisor at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota, Florida for the 2019-2020 Season. He currently lives in Bradenton, Florida with his wife, their three cats, and their dog.

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In August 2020, Michael joined the Sarasota Circus Arts Conservatory as the Audio/Visual Technical Manager, taking care of their audio, lighting, and projection departments for circus productions as well as corporate rentals.

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In October 2022, Michael became the Technical Theatre Director at Manatee School for the Arts in Palmetto, Florida. He helps mentor and teach student technicians about the different production departments in technical theatre as they work together to put on over 50 performances during each school year.

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Awards

2016 Thomas Gordon Anderson Award in Production & Design