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Michael Martin
Vocal Range: tenor · Height: 5'7" · Weight: 140 · Hair Color: gray · Eye Color: hazel · Hometown: Minneapolis
^Indicates new work. ~Indicates lead role. [CH] In Chicago. [NO] In New Orleans. Other cities noted by name. RH = Rhinoceros Theater Festival. 4H = Four Humours. GB = Great Beast. CL = Clove Productions.
AS ACTOR Happy Days Willie [NO] 4H at Shadowbox ('11) Porgy Policeman [NO] NORD at ...Read More
^Indicates new work. ~Indicates lead role. [CH] In Chicago. [NO] In New Orleans. Other cities noted by name. RH = Rhinoceros Theater Festival. 4H = Four Humours. GB = Great Beast. CL = Clove Productions.
AS ACTOR Happy Days Willie [NO] 4H at Shadowbox ('11) Porgy Policeman [NO] NORD at Dillard ('11) Directed by Ed Bishop Julius Caesar Pindarus/Citizen #1 [NO] Tulane Shakespeare Fest ('11) Directed by Amy Holtcamp Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George~ [NO] Silk Dress at Shadowbox ('11) Directed by Jennifer Growden The Front Man^ Bobby Free (uncredited) [NO] Backyard Ballroom ('10) Written by Todd Souvignier Geronimo^ Mr Huk~ [NO] NO Fringe Fest, main tent ('09) The Night of the Iguana Nonno [NO] Four Humours at Backyard Ballroom ('09) The Joys of Armageddon^ Antoinette LaFite [NO] MadHapPy at Backyard Ballroom ('09) Written by Mike iLL Love’s Labour’s Lost King of Navarre~ [NO] Lost Soda Prod at Marigny ('09) Directed by Ryan Bruce The Health Benefits of Orange Soda^ Michael [NO] New Orleans Repertory ('09) Written by Jared Gore; directed by Josh Simpson Bourbon Street: A Family History^ Dr Mason (uncredited) [NO] Backyard Ballroom ('09) Written by Otter No Longer a Rock in this World^ Charles~ [CH] RH at Acme Art Works ('09) Written & directed by Beau O’Reilly Krapp’s Last Tape Krapp~ [NO] 4H at Flava ('09) Directed by Ed Bishop Uncle Vanya Vanya~ [NO] 4H at Backyard Ballroom ('08) Directed by Kathryn Talbot Mona Rogers in Person Mona Rogers~ [NO] Four Humours at Flava (‘08) Written by Phillip-Dmitri Galas; directed by Agnes de Garron The Inspector General The Sergeant [NO] Cripple Creek at Rampart Ctr (‘08) Directed by Andrew Kingsley The Third Degrees of J.O. Breeze J.O. Breeze~ [NO] 4H at Hi-Ho Lounge (‘07) Written by O’Reilly; directed by cast Finding the Enemy^ Boy~ [NO] Anthony Bean Theater (‘07) Written & directed by John Grimsley The Papaya Man^ Mr. Cohen [NO] Anthony Bean Theater (‘07) Written by Phyllis Clemons, directed by Anthony Bean A Christmas Carol for George Wallace^ George Wallace~ [NO] Cripple Creek at Big Top Gallery (‘06) Written & directed by Andrew Vaught Now She Dances! Lane~ [NO] To Do Productions at Marigny Theater (‘06) Written by Doric Wilson; directed by Steve Patrick Krapp’s Last Tape Krapp~ [CH] Irish American Ctr & RH (‘06) Directed by Beau O’Reilly Evan on Earth^ [part of “Ardor” below] Man~ [CH] GB (‘01) Written by Robert Patrick; directed by Michelle Power 2 Doors Down from Tip-Top^ Number Two~ [CH] Curious Theatre Branch (‘01) Written & directed by Mike Hansel Julius Caesar Cassius~ [CH] National Pastime Theater (‘00) Directed by Laurence Bryan Bedroom Set^ [omnibus] various [CH] GB (‘97) Written by various; directed by Ryan C LaFleur Love Diatribe Dennis [CH] GB (‘97) Written by Harry Kondoleon; directed by Dawn Marie Galtieri Let the Dolly Do the Work^ Wood [CH] Curious Theatre Branch (‘94) Written & directed by Beau O’Reilly
AS ACTOR FOR FILM Hotcakes Jacques [NO] independent short ('11) Directed by Jo Custer "Breakout Kings" Martin Mitchell [NO] television series ('11) A Eulogy Father~ [NO] Student short UNO ('11) Directed by Savanna Curtis Searching for Bill Michael Martin~ [NO] Independent feature ('11) Directed by Jonas Rasmussen The Last Long Lost Weekend Slagman [NO] Independent short ('11) Directed by Billy Louviere Nessun Dorma Dr Dagnault~ [NO] Student short UNO ('11) Written & directed by Ben Matheny {audience favorite} The Price of Flowers Gas station clerk [NO] Independent film (‘09) Directed by Ashley Charbonnet 12 Black [NO] Student film UNO (‘09) Directed by Brooke Lynn Wright High Definition Arguing Man [NO] Independent film (‘07) Directed by Michael Minden Ward The Champ The Coach~ [NO] PSA (‘07) Directed by Denny Juge The Visiting Artist The Chef~ [CH] Student film SAIC (‘02) Directed by Greg Edwards Blood Orgy of the Damned Longshank [CH] Independent film (‘01) Directed by David Hayes
AS ACTOR & WRITER Pity Sex^ Nicky~ [CH] RH w/Jillian Erickson (‘03); [NO] DramaRama w/Veronica Russell (‘04)
AS PERFORMER & WRITER [solo shows] The Bachelor in New Orleans^ [adaptation] [NO] 4H at Hi-Ho Lounge, Pirate’s Alley, Voodoo Mystere (‘07-08; year-long run); [CH] Red Line Tap (‘08) and RH (‘09); Bryant Lake Bowl (Mpls, ‘08); TORCH: The Bearer, Where No Wood Is^ [CH] RF (‘07) The Bearer: Specific Performance^ [CH] RF (‘05) The Bearer: My New Piece^ [CH] RF (‘03) The Bearer^ [CH] Theater of the Catbird & RF (‘02) You’ve Been Great^ [short, in “Love and Sin” omnibus] [CH] The Steppenwolf Garage (‘02) Hinckley on Foster: The Hearing^ [CH] Clove Productions (‘02); Acadia (Mpls, ‘02); The Refuge [NO] (‘03) Holiday Spirit^ [short] [CH] Ian’s Dog & Pony Show (‘99), Sweetback (‘00) Quentin T Do Amateur Night at de Apollo^ [CH] GB (‘99); The Kraine (NYC, ‘99); Bryant Lake Bowl Theater (Mpls, ‘99) The Dump^ [short, opening for Barrie Cole] [CH] Horsesense Productions (‘98) “Justine Bateman”^ [CH] GB (‘97); Kahoots (St Paul, ‘97) Pattern Recognition^ [short] [CH] RF & Live Bait Theater (‘96)
AS WRITER Madeleine Remains^ [CH] Clove Productions at Side Project ('10) Director Shannon Evans [NO] Fringe Fest at Shaolin-Do ('11) The Fey^ [CH] RH (‘05) directors Brian Golden & Dana Friedman Frrreaks^ [co-adaptation] [CH] Sweetback Productions (‘02) director Kelly Anchors Dominium^ [CH] GB (‘96); The Kraine (NYC ‘07) director Russell Dobular
AS DIRECTOR & WRITER Thee [CH] RH (‘06) Smokers [CH] RH (‘00)
AS DIRECTOR Happy Days by Samuel Beckett [NO] 4H at Shadowbox ('11) The Tricky Part by Martin Moran [NO] CP at Shadowbox ('10) Criminal Hearts by Jane Martin [NO] 4H at Elm Theatre ('10) A Taste of Honey by Shelagh Delaney [NO] 4H at Shadowbox ('10) Moscow Nights created by Natasha Ramer [NO] at St Martin's ('10) The Front Man^ by Todd Souvignier [NO] Backyard Ballroom ('10) The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams [NO] Four Humours at Ballroom ('09) Bourbon Street: A Family History^ by Otter [NO] Backyard Ballroom (‘09) Christmas on Mars by Harry Kondoleon [NO] 4H (‘08) Brewed^ by Scott T Barsotti [NO] 4H (‘08) The Erect Pronoun [a/k/a One Person] by Robert Patrick [NO] 4H (‘08) Out Comes Butch by David Schein [NO] 4H (‘08) The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams [NO] Williams Fest competition, scene only (‘08) Steeped^ by Bridget Erin [NO] 4H, DramaRama (‘08) The Third Degrees of J.O. Breeze by Beau O’Reilly [NO] 4H, (group direction, ‘07) Kennedy’s Children by Robert Patrick [NO] 4H (‘07) The Observer^ by Mark Chrisler [CH] RH (‘06) A Babel Fish for Charlie Brown’s Mom^ by Rory Jobst [CH] Lunar Cabaret (‘02) Robert’s Rules of Ardor^ by Robert Patrick [CH] 4H (omnibus, directed two ‘01) Christmas on Mars by Harry Kondoleon [CH] 4H (‘00) Ready for the River by Neal Bell [CH] 4H (‘99) Howlers [omnibus] by various [CH] 4H (‘98) Harbor^ by Robert Patrick [CH] 4H (‘97)
AS HOST/ORGANIZER [festivals & cabarets] The Little Death Show [NO] Voodoo Mystere Lounge ('08) Esoterotica [NO] Voodoo Mystere Lounge (‘08) And Then I Wrote^ [CH] 4H (‘01) Cordelia was The Fool^ [CH] 4H (‘01) The DeathFesta^ [CH] 4H (‘97, ‘99) Beast Women^ [annual] [CH] 4H (‘97-’01) Yeats was Right, Dammit! [CH] Red Lion Pub (‘99) AS CREATOR [+ indicates productions I directed and/or hosted] Verbatim Verboten [NO] The Avenue Pub+ ('09) Bryant Lake Bowl+ (Mpls ‘06, 3-mo run); Jewel Box Theater/Historic University Theater+ (Seattle ‘05-’06, 5-mo run); The Fez/The Elbow Room, produced & directed by John Pinckard (NYC ‘04, 4-mo run); [NO] DramaRama/Funky Butt/True Brew+ (‘04, 4-mo run); [CH] Royal George, produced by Vicki Quade (‘04-’05, 14-mo run); (GB) (‘98-’01, various venues/runs)
AS MANAGER/PROMOTER The Voodoo Mystére Lounge^ [NO] (‘08) The Rhino in Winter^ [annual] [CH] 4H (‘95-’96) The Rhinoceros Theater Festival^ [annual] [CH] 4H (‘94-’96)
AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Four Humours Theater [NO] (2007-2011) Great Beast Theater [CH] (1996-2001)
AS COMPANY MEMBER The Curious Theatre Branch [CH] (1995, 2008-present) Four Humours Theater (2011-present)
SPECIAL RECOGNITION Highly Recommended, Chicago Reader: Hinckley on Foster: The Hearing, Krapp’s Last Tape Highly Recommended, New Orleans Times-Picayune, WYES, Ambush: The Bachelor in New Orleans Critics Choice, Chicago Reader: Pattern Recognition, Smokers, Verbatim Verboten Big Easy Awards nominee, Lead Actor Drama: A Christmas Carol for George Wallace Marquee Awards nominee, Lead Actor Drama: A Christmas Carol for George Wallace Ambie Awards nominee, Lead Actor Play: Finding the Enemy
SELECTED CRITIC REMARKS, AS ACTOR [W]hat Hal Holbrook might be like playing Mark Twain while drinking Sazeracs. Dressed in foppish finery, declaiming ornamental language from another era, he’s an aristocratic barfly, a John Barrymore in his later years, when his self-mocking, crazily courageous comic performances would rise above his circumstances. [H]is performance…has become heightened, funnier, and much more assured. …It’s a bravura turn that requires the guts of a burglar. A 90-minute monologue is tough enough to put across on the stage. Performing in a bar, interacting with customers who can be unpredictable, requires a special set of skills. Think matador and bull. …It’s a performance of extremes. A quiet, well-mannered politesse can turn into a Shakespearean roar; Lear against the elements. Martin wages this battle with garrulous good humor and quicksilver mood changes, adapting his approach to a constantly changing human landscape. It is this that gives the piece and his performance a certain stature. He is on the high wire and could fall at any moment, but somehow manages to keep his balance. [David Cuthbert, Times-Picayune, 2008]
Martin gives an energetic performance in this demanding hourling laugh fest. He convincingly portrays le charme malefique… [Dalt Wonk, Gambit Weekly, 2/19/08]
[He] makes Vanya a haggard, kindly, eccentric, outrageous romantic. The quirky characterization, which he manages to hold throughout the long play, works wonderfully. Martin is Vanya for every moment he is on stage, and it is impossible not to attend to his every erratic movement. His clear voice is effective, always swelling with grievance and frustration. He throws himself around in a manner just short of slapstick, so that we feel sad for him, but we don’t take him quite seriously: this is as Chekhov intended it. Great performance! [Christina Vella, St Bernard Voice, 7/08]
[B]y the time he finally appeared onstage, his mane of gray hair as disheveled as his ill-fitting black trousers and vest, his incongruous white shoes polished to a Sunday-school gleam, he’d mastered this heartbreaking buffoon. Shuffling stiffly to an enormous desk covered with an ancient reel-to-reel tape deck and a dozen battered boxes of tape spools, he lowered himself into a chair with arthritic care, placed his hands neatly before him, and let out a tiny sigh, which left him as limp as a deflated balloon. …Krapp rummages around in his desk, eats a banana (slipping on the peel, of course), fumbles with his tapes, exits to tke swigs from his bottle backstage (the audience hears only a dainty pop as he uncorks it), and finally listens to his former self ramling on about seemingly nothing—though it gradually becomes evident that the tape may recount how he blew his one chance at true love. …Martin plays the scene as a very funny grumbling clown routine. Each tiny accomplishment—finding the right tape spool or feeding it into the player—brings a fleeting moment of joy even as the accumulated weight of a squandered life squashes the rail-thin Krapp farther down in his chair. As Martin sits motionless listening to the tape, his expression by turns contemptuous, sly, forlorn, defeated, childlike, and empty, he creates a pitiful and absurd old man, someone who sees that his effort to create a brilliant chronicle of his life has fallen tragicomically flat. [Justin Hayford, Chicago Reader, 2006]
Martin’s one-man piece is a tour de force of desperate, Dostoyevskian fury…a minor masterpiece in the grand tradition of the overliterate madman, concealing layers of truth beneath its ravings, swinging assuredly between persuasive and preposterous. …But what really sells the piece is Martin’s wryly self-deprecating performance as the angry but resigned Hinckley, whose pretense of recovery is gradually broken down by invisible tormentors. Memorizing this drifting, looping, hour-plus monologue alone is a feat, and Martin was virtually flawless the night I attended, navigating the emotional ebb and flow of the slowly splintering Hinckley with unassuming genius. Since Martin is moving to New Orleans in the spring, this may be the last chance to see his amazing work for some time. [Brian Nemtusak, Reader, 2002]
Martin proves again that he is one of our best character actors as Mr. Cohen, whose “horse doesn’t circle the whole track.” He is funny, sincere… [David Cuthbert, Times-Picayune, 2/2/07]
Martin played the crippled troll creature, the J.O. Breeze of the title, with a controlled agility and a well-conceived idea of this strange role. He created an athletically demanding character who bounced from desktop to chair to stage floor with kinetic intensity. In the scenes in which just by sitting on his desk in the glow of a red light, wearing a frayed clown collar and ghastly makeup, he established a remarkable and theatrically effective stage presence. …And when one considers how he managed to keep his legs folded against himself when he hopped around the stage, one cannot help but appreciate his awesome stagecraft. [Patrick Shannon, Ambush, 7/17-30/07]
Michael Martin['s]...performance as the world weary college professor...illustrates the point: one galvanizing performance can alter the momentum of an entire show. Martin’s stunner of a turn arrests the viewer with its meticulous build, lifts the acting of his co-star, and, as of this writing, is the male performance of the year. ...Martin’s George is a revelation. Shuffling, mumbling under his breath, and infused with defeated resignation, the actor devises a slow burn of a character. He walks into the play a man who simply wants to have a quiet drink before going to bed. It is the cleanest, least pretentious objective I have seen an actor offer this year... His sighs become despairing beat shifts that indicate a trope of continual refortification in the face of his wife’s withering assaults. Every time Martha lands a blow, Martin’s George straightens his shoulders, shrugs off the pain, and fixes a pained smile before reentering the arena. And he does it while delivering his lines. I cannot emphasize that last point enough, because along with delving into the emotional darkness of broken man with a flicker of light left in him, Martin never forgets we have a long road to travel. ...[H]e drives the play with a steady beat of purpose. He also avoids playing a moment of it for laughs. His only audience is his wife and his guests, and that approach insures that patrons will be howling and roaring with every head feint, quick jab, and haymaker he executes. ...Martin simply tells the story, reacts to the chaos around him, and then pulls the disparate elements together for the thunderous climax. The three hours dissipate in the face of his triumph. Anyone who cares about acting in New Orleans needs to make the time to attend. We do not see each other’s work often enough in this town. We all have our excuses, and we all claim that we will be there when it really matters. Michael Martin’s performance matters. [James Fitzmorris, NOLA Defender, 2011]
Michael Martin has become one of our most influential performers, a talent with an original edge and a furious urge to succeed. [Al Shea, Stepping Out, WYES, 2008]
What a remarkable, courageous, eccentric, flaky actor Martin is; what a valiant performance he gave both nights. He’s like a magician, explaining when a trick hasn’t worked, but also explaining when it has. [David Cuthbert, Times-Picayune, 1/16/09]
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