C. Michael Perry — was born in Colorado and raised in Chicago. He found the theatre in High School and has made a living in theatre, film and television since then. He has worked major network television shows, including the original Donny and Marie Show for ABC, and many commercials, and several shows for PBS and ABC, along with two independent films.
I was a High School teacher for 13 years, loving every minute of it. There is nothing as fulfilling as seeing a young person grasp a concept and run with it. But other opportunities called, and seeing the coming intrusion of the Federal Government, I opted out of Education as a profession. Some of the photos on the home page are my students.
As an ACTOR/PERFORMER: cmpActingresume I have played in front of live audiences from Chicago to Utah to Canada to Germany and Italy in various plays and musicals; and have received acting awards for many leading and supporting roles.
I have served as DIRECTOR: cmpDirectingresume for over 40 shows on the Community, Educational and Professional level.
As a CHOREOGRAPHER: cmpChoreographerresume I have prepared over 50 productions.
- PRODUCTION PHOTOS:
- Big River (at Sundance Summer Theatre. I did the Musical Direction and Choreography Summer of 2010)
- TOAD! — BYU, 1976 — I did the choreography and some work on the music and lyrics.
My MUSICAL DIRECTION: cmpMusicalDirectionresume and Vocal Coaching have won accolades.
I have won awards for lighting and scenic designs in community theatre and on the high school level.
I am a graduate of Brigham Young University with a BA in Theatre.
I am the COMPOSER: cmpComposerLyricistresume and/or PLAYWRIGHT: cmpPlaywrightresume of over 60 plays and musicals including “CINDERABBIT” for PBS, which won an Emmy Award and a “Best Of The West” Public Television award. Most of my plays and award winning musicals have been produced across the nation and many have been produced internationally. Many are also published. Several titles include, FAUNTLEROY!, KEWPIE!, OF BABYLON, TURN THE GAS BACK ON!, TOM SAWYER, ONSTAGE!, THE ANOINTED, CHRISTMAS DREAMS, CRICKET ON THE HEARTH, LITTLE PRINCESS, HEIDI, DANIEL, FRANK’N STYNE, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, THE SAGA OF SASQUATCH C’LONE, WILD DUCKS, CHRISTMAS ON THE BLUE, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, HOW THE WEST WAS DONE, JEDEDIAH!, THE BALLAD OF PARLEY P!, LET THERE BE LOVE, ROSE!, THE TEMPEST MUSICAL, COMING HOME: A Christmas Story, AND ENCHANTED APRIL: A Musical, and three adapted and edited Shakespeare titles: THE COMEDY OF ERRORS, JULIUS CAESAR: A CONFEDERATE CONSPIRACY, and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, among others.
For thirty years, from 1978 until its sale in 2008, I was President of Encore Performance Publishing of Orem and Salt Lake City, Utah, which I founded — a publisher of plays and musicals for amateur, educational and professional markets, now owned by Eldridge Plays and Musicals. Some of my titles represented there are: THE APPLE KINGDOM, CURSES, FOILED AGAIN!, A CHRISTMAS MEMORY, SNOW WHITE AND THE MIRACLE OF MIRADOR, RUMPELSTILTSKIN, and ANNE with an ‘e’ – THE GREEN GABLES MUSICAL; as well as edited and adapted Shakespeare titles: HAMLET, AS YOU LIKE IT, THE TEMPEST.
I have also worked as the VP of Sales and Marketing for General Theatrical Supply of Salt Lake City.
I did freelance writing for Scottsdale MultiMedia, a company out of Arizona, for several years.
I am the AUTHOR: cmpAUTHORresume of two fantasy adventure series: DANIEL LIGHT AND THE CHILDREN OF THE ORB; and WEMBLEY TEWKES ON THE EDGES OF TIME, plus other books and novels.
I am or have been a member of Theta Alpha Phi, The Educational Theatre Association, The International Thespian Society, Associated Latter-day Media Artists (ALMA), Christians In Theatre Arts, The Texas Educational Theatre Association, The Utah Theatre Association, Rocky Mountain Theatre Association, Ohio Community Theatre Association, Southwest Theatre Association, The American Alliance for Theatre In Education and The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). He has served as the President of the Theatre Guild Of Utah Valley in central Utah; Maine Arts Commission.
I make my home in Newport, Maine with my wife Sharon. My son Jon-Christopher, and my daughters, Jessica and Janalynn and Joelle are out on their own; married and such!
Why I Write For And About The Family
(Sort of a mission statement)
I believe that the family is the central organizational unit of this world. There is nothing that compares to it and there is nothing that can replace it. I am speaking of all types of families — traditional and non-traditional. It is of unique structure. It is of paramount importance. Where there is love, caring, bonding, blood-ties, ties of duty, responsibility and authority; where there are co-importance and interdependence, that is where you may find a family.
I write plays, musicals, novels, stories and songs — and anything else — in support of The Family. I create so that each family can reaffirm, from what I write — can pluck from it — something that they need, whether they knew they needed it or not — those somethings are what make each family uniquely special, different — viable.
I write for the child in all of us. Whether that child is of the age of a child, or has grown beyond those childhood years and into adolescence, young adulthood, or has become a parent themselves, or an aunt or uncle, or a grandparent — or even a great-grandparent — I hope that something in my writing will touch each one of them in some way that reminds them that we are all children — all members of The Human Family — along with those other relationships that sustain us and draw us close.
I write for the instruction of ‘the child’. I write for the edification of ‘the child’. I write so that ‘the child’ may laugh and cry; hope and dream; teach and learn; and give.
Whether it is exploring the individuality of each family member that helps create a family, or fathoming the unity of the individuals within a family, I think it is important to probe all the dynamics involved in making up the greatest unit ever created: The Human Family.
I want families to read together; attend the theatre together; watch films together; sing songs together. Discuss. Talk. Communicate. I want children to ask the difficult questions. I want parents [and others] to answer those questions openly and honestly; completely. I want the world to fight the approaching plagues, not give in to them. Preparing our families for the battle against the coming foe will prepare the world for a victory in those battles.