Michael is a Japanese-American theatre artist: Actor, Playwright, and Director. Michael is highly active in the Boston theatre scene where he has worked with major local theatre companies such as The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, Central Square Theater, SpeakEasy Stage Company, The Huntington Theatre Company, Trinity Repertory Company, Wheelock Family Theatre, The Williamstown Theatre Festival, HowlRound/ArtsEmerson, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Fresh Ink Theatre Company and more. A champion of new play development, Michael has worked on hundreds of new plays in his professional career, in addition to being part of a number of new play reading groups, festivals, conferences, and events. Michael has worked with actors, playwrights, directors, and designers from all walks of the national theatre scene, from fringe companies and first-time playwrights to LORT Theatres, Broadway Veterans, and Tony winners. He has helped originate roles in new plays currently being developed, as well as executed new versions of previously staged productions. As a playwright, Michael has received readings at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he was in the first ever cohort of Undergraduate Playwriting Residents for his work on his play, someone who isn’t me, in addition to workshops at Boston University, Brown University, and Fresh Ink Theatre. As a director, Michael has directed and assisted on productions and showcases for Central Square Theater, Brown/Trinity Rep, The Huntington Theatre Company, Flat Earth Theatre, South Coast Repertory, The Open Theatre Project, Boston University, and Boston University’s Summer Theatre Institute. He is a recipient of the inaugural Pao Arts Center’s Performance Fellowship, a California Youth In Theatre Special Citation from the California State Senate, an Independent Reviewers of New England Nominee, a Finalist for the Bob Jolly Award, and a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.

Says Michael: I’m deeply committed to helping further New Rep’s mission of supporting local performing artists and providing solid pathways to production at the professional level.