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 created The West Virginia Shakespeare Festival (WVSHAKES) in 2018, now in its fifth year.

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 Honeymoon.

His new television series, Equity, is currently in production and the first two episodes will premiere this summer.

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.

He lives in Chesapeake, OH with his wife and two cats, and he is a member of the professional actors union, Actor's Equity Association (AEA).

- IMDb mini biography by: Mike Murdock