Biography

Mike is a professional actor, writer, director, editor, producer and disposable hero. He is also the current Artistic Director of Alchemy Theatre in Huntington, West Virginia. He studied theatre, film, journalism and English at Ohio University in Athens, OH, and Marshall University in Huntington, WV. He graduated from the latter. From there he moved to Los Angeles and created The Muse Theatre, then later returned to the Tri-State to continue trying to bring great art to the area. He has performed professionally in the United Kingdom, Pittsburgh, L.A. and more.

Before Alchemy, Mike was one of the Resident Directors at Arts Resources for the Tri-State (ARTS) for five years, where he directed and/or acted in numerous productions. He also co-created The West Virginia Shakespeare Festival (WVSHAKES) with Nora Ankrom in 2018.

Mike worked at Greenbrier Valley Theatre in Lewisburg, WV, the State Professional Theatre of West Virginia) for three years as their Props Master, actor and stage hand, where he earned his AEA membership.

He is a published author, writing the novel The Dragon Ruby with Herschel Jeffrey, which will be re-released soon, and he has won several playwriting contests and screenplay awards. His original play series written with Simon Woods plays every holiday season in Huntington - A Cozy Christmas, A Cozy Wedding & A Cozy Finale.

The first two episodes of his television series, Equity, have been produced, and premiered in Huntington.

His film company 619 Pictures has worked with Alchemy to create new and inventive ways to produce theatre during the 2020 / 2021 COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to produce new work.

Mike recently completed his MFA from the David Lynch School of Cinematic Arts in Screenwriting, where his mentors included James V. Hart, Kelly Edwards, Josh Billig and Lee Jessup.

He is also an Adjunct Professor at Marshall University, teaching acting, playwriting and screenwriting.

He lives in Chesapeake, OH with two cats.
- IMDb mini biography by: Mike Murdock