Mission Statement
Michael Dean Morgan’s primary artistic medium is collaboration. Michael is an interpreter of the human experience who honors the traditions of theater craft to create vibrant and authentic experiences that bridge the gap from practiced skill to human impulse. He seeks to create communities where all voices are valued and elevated.
Michael Dean Morgan is an American stage actor and director originally from Waukesha, WI who has gone on to perform as Actor, Singer, and Puppeteer all over the country. Michael received his MFA in Acting at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at the University of California at Irvine. He is a certified Knight-Thompson Speechwork instructor who was mentored by Dudley Knight (pictured below with Michael in My Fair Lady in 2002) and Phil Thompson.
Michael is currently a Professor at The University of Miami Department of Theatre Arts BFA musical theatre program and has previously been a professor and researcher at both Rowan University’s Department of Theatre and Dance and at the Princeton Theological Seminary. He is a regular guest artist and lecturer in Acting, Voice, Speech, Dialects, comedic styles, and on-camera.
Michael Dean Morgan
As an actor, he was seen on Broadway in the musical Amazing Grace. Other credits include the first and second national tours of Mary Poppins as Mr. Banks; the comic hornbill, Zazu, in The Lion King; and originating the role of Marlin in the world premiere of Disney’s Finding Nemo – The Musical written by the Oscar winning team behind Frozen; Off-Broadway in the new musical Goldstein at the Actors Temple; as well as concerts at 54 Below and regional theaters such as the McCarter Theatre, Barrington Stage Company, Bucks County Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Repertory Theater of St. Louis, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Skylight Music Theater, and Utah Shakespeare. In 2024 he received a Carbonell Award nomination for his portrayal of Callahan in Legally Blonde at Actor's Playhouse in Miami.
Michael’s screen credits include the CBS's FBI, NBC’s Manifest, HBO drama Boardwalk Empire, Amazon’s Alpha House, as well as several incarnations of Law and Order and a guest appearance on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars (that is a fun story).
My Fair Lady with Dudley Knight
As stage director, Michael is a regular director at First Stage in Milwaukee. He is currently in pre-production to Direct and Puppet Direct FROZEN. His return to the Princeton Festival, New Jersey’s premier performing arts festival, with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (pictured on left) and his Man of La Mancha both won rave reviews from the Philly Inquirer. Other directing credits include at the University of Miami and Rowan University.
Michael is also a researcher whose work explores the power of story and personal narrative to bring together communities. Michael is a certified Knight-Thompson Speechwork instructor and recipient of the “Dudley Knight Award for Outstanding Vocal Scholarship” for his published work, “Quarantine Stories: From Pandemics to Innovation.” His Theatre Story Archive LLC was awarded the $10k Rowan Seed Grant.
Additionally, Michael was a founding member of the New York based multimedia performance ensemble Coyote Rep and is founder and owner of The Dialect Lab of Princeton LLC, a professional speech and dialect company.
Active member of Actors Equity Association (AEA), The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA).