Michelle graduated in 2004 with her Bachelors in Acting and has been working professionally ever since. From 2004-2016, Michelle served on the staff of CYT (Christian Youth Theatre) Atlanta, as their education director/class coordinator, camp director, acting/musical theatre instructor, and director for their main-stage musicals. She also directed their annual residential teen camp, Improv team, and award-winning competition troupe where, under her direction, the troupes won numerous awards at both JTF (Junior Theatre Festival) and The National Performing Arts Festival.
In 2014, Michelle began working for The Performers Warehouse as a private acting instructor, resident director, and member of their prestigious college audition program. While at PW she helped to develop their production company, Performer’s Warehouse Productions. Under her direction, PWP’s production of In The Heights took home 8 Broadway World Atlanta awards in 2017, including Best Musical and Best Director.In 2018 Michelle took PW’s Competition troupe to the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta where they won Excellence in Choreography.
From 2012-2018, while in Atlanta, Michelle served as a Judge and Committee member for the prestigious Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards aka. the Shuler Awards, she has also served as an adjudicator for Georgia’s One Act Competition and Literary Competition. Now in Kansas City, Michelle is now an adjudicator for Starlight Theatre’s Blue Star awards, as well as, teaching workshops for Starlight Theatre covering auditions and the college audition process. Michelle has been a workshop artist for the International Thespian, Georgia Thespian, Kansas Thespian, Missouri Thespian, Iowa Thespian, Arkansas Thespian Festivals as well as various schools and theatre companies around the US.
Always in pursuit of sharing her knowledge with others, in 2017, Michelle began her writing adventures. You can currently find her articles and columns in Dramatics magazine, and on performerstuff.com & theatreartlife.com. She is also the co-author of the College Audition workbook (available on Amazon).During her professional career, Michelle had has the fortune to direct and/or perform in over 90+ productions with some of her favorites being The Fantasticks, Noises Off, Hairspray, School for Wives, Arsenic and Old Lace, Three Postcards, Tarzan, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Buried Child, Pippin and In The Heights (Broadway World Awards Atlanta 2017 Best Director of a Musical). Her students can be found in local community and professional theatres, national tours, Broadway,TV/Film, and top ranking collegiate theatre programs around the world. She is a member of CiTA (Christians in Theatre Arts), NYA (National Youth Arts), and EdTA (Educational Theatre Association.)
In 2018, MJE Acting Studio, along with D.C.C.A.P: Dave Clemmons College Advisory Program, and CEM Music Studio, joined forces to create CAP: College Audition Project (collegeauditionproject.com). They host their own private Unified auditions called CAP United Auditions (www.capunitedauditions.com) for their CAP students. CAP is an online College Audition service that allows students and parents to get the knowledge and guidance they need to have a successful college audition season.
In the spring of 2022, Michelle became the Education Director at First Act Theatre Arts serving students in and around the Kansas City area.