Michelle
is an artist, teacher and community activist. She teaches voice, speech & dialects at The Theatre School and is a proud instructor for the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program. Michelle was the recipient of the 2021 Ruth Schudson (Goodman Class of 1947) Leading Lady Award.
During her tenure as Artistic Director for Chicago Playworks she facilitated new play workshop readings of The Secret Garden adapted by Lavina Jadhwani, The Chronicles of the Kaleidoscope Visitors by Omer Abbas Salem and the world premieres of Las Wavys by Ricardo Gamboa and Tall Enough by Gloria Bond Clunie. She has also directed The Mole Hill Stories, Squirrel Girl Goes to College, Luchadora, Intro 2: Monsters Unleased, and Jane of the Jungle at The Theatre School.
Michelle is an associate teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework and proud member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association. She is also a featured coach on accenthelp.com. Coaching credits include: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf, Lifeline Theatre, Seattle Rep, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Bad Soviet Habits and Houston Shakespeare Festival.
Michelle has collaborated on many theatrical projects for social change. She is a co-founder of the Royal Mexican Players with Alvaro Saar Rios. For over a decade they have offered workshops, devised community productions, and produced original works. Her one-woman show 500 Years was developed in Bogotá, London, and Milwaukee. Michelle had the honor of working with 371 Productions to devise and direct a live multimedia performance of Precious Lives, the popular weekly podcast about gun violence and young people in Milwaukee.
She has directed the world premieres of Esperanza Rising (First Stage), Carmela Full of Wishes (Chicago Children's Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre), Precious Lives: The Live Show (371 Productions), Decaffeinated Tragedy (2009 Prague Fringe Festival Inspiration Award); One Hot Texican Summer (or the summer I found out I was Mexican), Nuestra Voz, Nuestra Historia; and A Trip Through the Mind of a 'Crazy' Mexican (Royal Mexican Players).
A proud member of Actors Equity for 30 years, she has also performed at Chicago Dramatists, Mark Taper Forum, First Stage, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Next Act, A Contemporary Theatre, Court Theatre, Troy Rep, and Ojai Shakespeare Festival.