Mike Wiley
The Performance
With his acclaimed original dramatic theatre works founded on pivotal moments in African-American history, Mike Wiley shares a new definition for inspired blending of art and education.
Formerly of Theatre IV and Shenandoah Shakespeare Express, Mike Wiley has more than twelve years in theatre for young audiences, plus film, television and regional theatre. A gifted playwright and actor, his overriding goal is expanding cultural awareness — for all audiences — through dynamic, character-rich portrayals of pivotal events that form the history of the American experience. An Upward Bound alum and Trio Achiever Award recipient, Mike is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill's M.F.A. program. His repertoire of powerful, acclaimed works includes One Noble Journey in which he portrays more than 20 characters in the true tale of Henry "Box" Brown who mailed himself to freedom in a crate labeled "This Side Up;" Brown vs. Board of Education encapsulating the impact of the pivotal ruling for desegregating schools; Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart, with penetrating lessons of courage and leadership from heroic African-American athletes; Dar He: The Story of Emmett Till, chronicling the 1955 Mississippi murder, trial and confession of the men accused of the horrific death of 14-year-old Emmett Till; Tired Souls documenting the days following Rosa Park's refusal to relinquish her bus seat, and the accounts of those who held tight to their bus money and walked for freedom for 381 days; and Blood Done Sign My Name, based on author Tim Tyson's searing best-selling chronicle of the 1970 racial murder in a small North Carolina town. Wiley continues to gain additional acclaim and multiple Best Actor awards at film festivals in the US and Europe for the impressive Rob Underhill short film EMPTY SPACE and 2011's WOLF WHISTLE. Currently the Lehman Brady Visiting Professor at Duke University's Center for Documentary Studies, Wiley recently premiered his newest work, The Parchman Hour, a riveting dramatic commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders. Mike Wiley's touring repertoire is available in 50-min. student productions for varying grade levels, with accompanying study guides. Four of his original plays are produced in full-length two-act versions for college and adult audiences and have been received to great acclaim across the U.S.
In a Word…
"… tour-de-force … a riveting evening of theater, one of the year's ten best." - Raleigh News & Observer
"An intensely physical actor and writer who can turn on the charm like nobody's business. When it comes to working a crowd, Wiley makes Bill Clinton look like a wallflower." - Independent Weekly
"Mike is a brilliant artist and educator... This is about mending the broken world through the power of story, and making scholarship and art speak to the breach in our common life. I am proud to have Mike as a colleague in those efforts..." - Author Tim Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name
"A depth and clarity as distinct as an entire cast of players could make them...so packed that we are rapt from the very first word." - Classical Voice of NC
"I've never found any other artist who (1) delivers more valid educational content, (2) involves and connects with school audiences more successfully, or (3) is more pleasant to work with. He has a knack for taking sensitive and sometimes painful topics, and making them accessible in non-threatening — even humorous — ways. You will not regret bringing him to your school." - Christian B. Rothwell, Chorus/Drama Specialist, Apex NC
A Presenter's Point of View
Mike Wiley's creative vision and abilities are so broad and magnetic that he changes your space with his presence. He dives to deep reaches of truth and possesses a gift that peels away barnacles of misunderstanding. Mike's performances nurture opportunities for self-discovery and interpersonal respect like none I've seen in a long time. He's one of those persons for whom you search to find ways to thank. "Mike Wiley" doesn't leave when the curtain comes down. Whether you're a child or an adult, what he brings doesn't come with an expiration date.