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Growing up uncomfortably shy, Michaela first knew she loved the arts when she began to play flute in elementary school. Though a challenge, she practiced constantly to see how far she could stretch her skills. To her surprise, she was great at playing the flute and found budding confidence she had never known before. This introduced her to a newfound love and appreciation for all music. She soon began taking voice lessons, enrolled in choir, became the drum major for marching band, and competed both with her flute and voice through high school. She had never participated in theatre until her freshman year, where she was in the ensemble for The Sound of Music. She immediately fell in love with the story-telling aspect of theatre and the sense of camaraderie that followed. Michaela learned to always push herself, and it was a daring push that brought her to her first leading role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. She transformed from that little girl afraid to speak up to someone who learned to combat her fears and embrace herself in front of the world. Michaela realized two important things during those transformative years. She loves what happens when she continues to push herself despite her fears and she loves building art with others. To Michaela, performing serves as a therapeutic, humbling, and endearing experience each time.
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She found a temporary home at West Chester University of PA where she focused on what she knew the least about at the time, theatre. Her directors, professors, and colleagues pushed her even further with roles like Mrs. Malaprop, the long winded and ill-educated evil aunt in The Rivals, Satan in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and the clever but ditsy flight attendant April in Company, to name a few favorites. While in college, Michaela exercised her silly bone and performed with the on-campus Improv team, Deep Dish Pizzazz for a few semesters which helped her to further embrace her awkward but fun and daring nature. Because Michaela loves creating, she uncovered a love for choreography as well, leading her to perform and choreograph for the University Dance Company. You can view her choreographed modern dance piece, "Catharsis" on the "Media" page on this website. During all of this, she served as the Historian and Vice President for University Theatre for three years. This organization is the student-run funding organization behind the Department of Theatre and Dance and equipped Michaela with an ample understanding of Arts Administration and Event Planning.
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Michaela now holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, with a special focus on Musical Theatre, and a Minor in Dance from West Chester University. She works professionally as a performer, choreographer, and musician as well as in Arts Administration. Some favorite skills she has picked up along the way are: clowning around as her alter ego, Tilly (the nervous, loving, socially awkward clown who can't speak), and becoming a Registered Yoga Instructor through Yoga Alliance. Other valuable experiences that have helped shape her as an artist are: traveling to Calabria, Italy to study Commedia Dell'Arte, attending The Open Jar Institute: Pre-Broadway Training Intensive in New York City, creating and performing in What the Water Gave Me (an original devised theatre piece inspired by Frida Kahlo), and performing as the soloist dancer in The Conjuring, choreographed by maria urrutia.
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