Mike Wiley

"History tells us that when society is hurt or wounded, and in tumult or turmoil, the arts have rescued us. While a painting or a film or a song is no vaccine, nor peace treaty, they are however light in the darkness, laughter in the rain and music to press on to. And in that salve that soothes the world's wounds, we find the elixir of hope. Hope that makes life worth living, worth fighting for. The arts give us hope, that united we are greater than the sum of our problems, greater than the sum of our differences. Art transcends social distancing, travel bans and quarantines. Art will document these dark days yes, but art will also lead us out of them.” - Mike Wiley, January 20, 2021

The Performance

"I was amazed at the burden Mr. Wiley has to carry as a result of his performative work. At the talkback following Dar He - The Lynching of Emmett Till, audience members asked him to solve the symbolism of hatred, the N word and systemic national issues. In addition to delivering a visceral performance, he consoled an entire audience, including a sobbing woman, who wasn’t going home until she’d received a Wiley hug on stage. Mr. Wiley continues to deliver more than should ever be asked of an artist." —Michael Crane, Associate Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communication, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

“You are the luckiest agent to rep such an incredible actor, educator and person. We love Mike Wiley! We continually have the most precious experiences with Mike at our venue. For Mike’s DAR HE performances here, we got people in the audience who lived the story and we witnessed incredibly inspiring post-show Q & A sessions. Today, a group of kids from Jackie Robinson Elementary in Chicago serenaded Mike with Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?, which is also their school song. It was another “crying at work day”—but in the proudest and best possible way. The kids had so much fun, learned so much about history and themselves; and didn’t even know it was happening. Magic.”
David Vish, North Shore Performing Arts Center, Skokie, IL


Mike Wiley is a North Carolina-based actor & playwright whose compelling works of documentary theatre yield powerful journeys through milestones and turning points of a shared American history. With a remarkable ability to inspire dialog, his creative vision and talents are broad and magnetic, leading audiences and communities to begin to peel layers and barriers to true 'community.' When a curtain comes down on a Mike Wiley performance, the experience has far from “ended.” It’s more likely that light may have seeped through, that a stubborn door may have just nudged open.

His ensemble and solo-actor plays include THE PARCHMAN HOUR, DOWNRANGE: STORIES FROM THE HOMEFRONT, DAR HE: THE STORY OF EMMETT TILL, the theatrical adaptation of Tim Tyson's BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME, the epic LEAVING EDEN, BREACH OF PEACE and more. The film adaptation of Wiley’s DAR HE, in which he portrays 30+ roles, received more than 40 major film festival awards around the globe. THE PARCHMAN HOUR was selected as the closing event of the official 50th year anniversary commemoration of the Freedom Riders in Jackson, MS and his plays have been selected for showcase by juries at a majority of performing arts conferences across America. His ensemble plays have been produced by major regional theatres in the US including Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, Hatiloo Theatre in Memphis, Playmakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, NC, Virginia Stage in Norfolk and Cape Fear Regional Theatre in Fayetteville, NC.

letter from a teacher Wiley has close to twenty years’ credits in creating documentary theatre for young audiences plus film, television, and regional theatre. An Upward Bound alum and Trio Achiever Award recipient, he is an M.F.A. graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and is a former Lehman-Brady Visiting Joint Chair Professor at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies. He has conducted numerous educational residencies funded through grant programs of the North Carolina Arts Council and has performed across the US and in Canada. He is a 2017 recipient of the University of North Carolina's Distinguished Alumni Award. His most recent large-scale ensemble-cast plays are LEAVING EDEN, PEACE OF CLAY (co-written with Howard Craft) and REBELLIOUS. He received the 2020 Andre DeShields Best Actor Award from the National Black Theater Alliance for his performance in DAR HE: THE STORY OF EMMETT TILL. His newest ensemble work, co-written with Howard Craft and commissioned by Playmakers Repertory Company at UNC Chapel Hill, will premiere in December 2024. He currently serves as Artist-in-Residence for the Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University. Wiley’s overriding goal is expanding cultural awareness for audiences of all ages through dynamic portrayals based on pivotal moments in African American history and, in doing so, helping to unveil a richer picture of the total American experience.

Most all of Mike Wiley’s touring solo documentary theatre works are offered in versions for student audiences (approx. 45 min. in length, plus post-show talkback.) Additionally, certain titles are offered in extended versions ranging from 60-90 min. for general audiences. Educational residencies varying in duration from three to five days may be scheduled to include performance/s plus teacher and student workshops. Filmed performance adaptations of his eight solo-actor dramas are available for virtual streaming in schools and other settings. Click the ‘Presenter Toolkit’ link for numerous resources including study guides, media tools, videos, fee schedule, tech rider and more.

Current Touring and Virtual Productions

All live performances for all audiences include a post-show talkback/Q&A with Mike Wiley. Virtual screening presentations can choose to also schedule an optional virtual real-time talkback if desired. Most of the touring productions can be adapted into approx.. 45-minute student versions if desired. The running times of the unabbreviated live performances are noted below. Mike Wiley’s multi-day residencies are also offered in both live and virtual formats. (See more detail in Presenter Toolkit.)

  • JACKIE ROBINSON: A GAME APART
    Glimpse into baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s life during a bygone era of separate and unequal locker rooms, whites-only hotels and restaurant back doors. Witness the hopeless humiliation of a star player showered with adulation on the field --but a second-hand citizen outside the stadium. Meet compatriots fighting the same battles between end zones, inside the ring, around the track. JACKIE ROBINSON: A GAME APART is a powerful lesson of courage through dedication, perseverance and leadership. (Student version for gr. 3+; virtual screening adaptation running time 31 min.; full live performance 45-55 min.)
  • TIRED SOULS: THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT
    Montgomery, AL, Dec. 1, 1955: Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus. This action inspires the black citizens of Montgomery to abandon all travel on city buses until they are no longer forced to sit in the back or stand when a white person comes on board. There were more who came before, brave visionaries who laid the groundwork for this pivotal moment. TIRED SOULS introduces audiences to Jo Ann Robinson, Claudette Colvin and others instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement, changing the course of U.S. history. (Student version for gr. 3+; virtual screening adaptation running time 35min.; full live performance 45-55 min.)
  • BROWN VS. BOARD OF EDUCATION: OVER SIXTY YEARS LATER
    In 1952, the Supreme Court heard a number of school-segregation cases, including Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. It ruled unanimously in 1954 that segregation was unconstitutional, overthrowing Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896) that had set the "separate but equal" precedent. This play recounts the effects of the decision on the families who participated in the original court case, the impact of the ruling on school systems at the time and the challenges still being made today. (Student version for gr. 5+; virtual screening adaptation running time 35 min.; full live performance 45-55 min.)
  • ONE NOBLE JOURNEY: A BOX MARKED FREEDOM
    A true story of three slaves who overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to gain a life of freedom. Wiley becomes Henry "Box" Brown a black slave who sees no alternative but to mail himself to freedom in a small crate. Brown's life unfolds like a Mark Twain adventure, perilous and somber at times while humorous and heroic throughout. Audience members join Wiley on stage, quickly becoming characters helping propel the historic action. (45-min. student version for gr. 3+; virtual screening adaptation running time 47 min.; also offered in extended live performance running 65-70 min.)
  • BREACH OF PEACE
    May 24 in 1961 was the day 19-year-old Jean Thompson’s father had prepared her for her entire life. “My parents always talked about the injustice of segregation, but they were optimistic; they didn’t feel like it was going to last forever,” Thompson recalled. “They raised us to be ready. I remember my dad saying the day will come, and when it does, you should be ready.” On that day, she boarded a Trailways bus in Montgomery, Alabama with 11 other young Freedom Riders bound for New Orleans – and into history. Within three months, approximately 300 other riders took up the mantle to desegregate buses, following the path of the first brave few. Mobs bloodily assaulted many. Others were arrested while shining a light on a brutal, segregated South. BREACH OF PEACE is based on true accounts of surviving participants of the Freedom Rides, as well as many other individuals involved in the early struggle for African American equality. This solo-actor play is a living monument to those remarkable young men and women of various races, religions and backgrounds who rose to face the dangers of fighting for just and equal treatment for all. (Student version recommended for gr. 5+; virtual screening adaptation running time 45 min.; live extended version performance 65-70 min. and with option of guest gospel vocalist.)
  • THE FIRE OF FREEDOM
    Abraham H. Galloway (1837-1870) was a fiery young slave rebel, radical abolitionist, and Union spy who rose out of bondage to become one of the most significant and stirring black leaders in the South during the Civil War. Throughout his brief, mercurial life, Galloway fought against slavery and injustice. He risked his life behind enemy lines, recruited black soldiers for the North, and fought racism in the Union army's ranks. He also stood at the forefront of an African American political movement, even leading a historic delegation of black southerners to the White House to meet with President Lincoln and to demand the full rights of citizenship. He later became one of the first black men elected to the North Carolina legislature. Long hidden from history, Galloway's story reveals a war unfamiliar to most of us. This riveting portrait, adapted by playwright Howard Craft from the book by Dr. David Cecelski, illuminates Galloway's life and deepens our insight into the Civil War and Reconstruction as experienced by African Americans in the South. (Student version recommended for gr. 5+; virtual screening adaptation running time 46 min.; extended live version also offered in solo-actor form or with guest gospel vocalist.)
  • DAR HE: THE STORY OF EMMETT TILL
    In 1955, a 14-year-old black Chicago youth traveled to the Mississippi Delta with country kinfolk and southern cooking on his mind. He walked off the train and stepped into a world he could never understand -- a world of thick color lines, of hard-held class systems and unspeakable taboos. Young Emmett crossed that line and met his gruesome fate by whistling at a white woman. This riveting play chronicles the murder, trial and unbelievable confession of the men accused of Emmett Till's lynching. (Student version for gr. 7+; virtual screening adaptation running time 74 min.; full live performance runs 75-85 min. plus talkback)
  • BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME
    In the spring of 1970, Henry “Dickie” Marrow, a 23- year-old U.S. Army veteran whose wife was pregnant with their third daughter, was beaten and shot to death by Robert Teel, Teel’s son Larry and stepson Roger Oakley. The men were acquitted of the crime by an all-white jury, despite testimony by two black eyewitnesses. Roger Oakley, the stepson, confessed to shooting the gun but was never indicted. But it was the Teels’ acquittal for their hot-headed hate crime that launched the small town of Oxford, NC into a season of violent reprisals. Based on Tim Tyson’s award-winning memoir, BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME feels frighteningly familiar and relevant. Wiley’s compelling dramatization of the true-life account of this 1970 racial murder is meant to acknowledge America’s painful racial history, “that our freedom and dignity, if we still have any, has been paid for in blood, that we have a contract with our ancestors not to let their sacrifices be in vain.” Option of special guest gospel musical artist in full-length version. (Student version for gr. 7+; virtual screening adaptation running time 84 min.; full live performance in two acts, 90-95 min.)
  • WE COULD BE HEROES, special presentation
    A personal call to action & the arts, “WE COULD BE HEROES” is a motivational commentary by actor/playwright Mike Wiley that speaks to his experiences and influences as a boy growing up in Virginia, a young man finding his inner voice, and his journey to becoming a professional touring theatre artist in America. It is a statement of gratitude to those who incite greatness, a call to action to those who inspire and dream, a personal sharing about a long-planted seed. Originally written for Arts North Carolina as a message to arts advocates and legislators, the speech has been presented as a college commencement address, and at education, corporate and arts conferences as well as at retreats and celebratory commemorations. The address runs approx. 25 minutes in length and may be followed by an audience Q&A if desired. For a slightly longer program, this address is sometimes paired to follow the 13.-min. compilation video LIFT EVERY VOICE.

For more information about each of these productions, including study guides, technical rider, fee schedule, promotional resources & more, click the Presenter Toolkit link at upper left.

In a Word…

“This is more than mere versatility – it’s virtuosity.” - American Theatre Magazine

"… a tour-de-force … a riveting evening of theater, one of the year's ten best." - Raleigh News & Observer

"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

“Intensely researched, brilliantly crafted…” - Independent Weekly

A Presenter's Point of View

“I just wanted to thank you all for putting together such a spectacular performance for our students yesterday. Mike, the work you are doing is so profoundly important. The way in which you engage with your audiences, articulate our nation’s troubled history, and give voice to the voiceless, is truly remarkable. The children were in awe of you, I was in awe, and we all shared in so much laughter, and hopefully, a newfound or better understanding of our nation’s past through the eyes of Henry “Box” Brown. We are so excited to have you back again next year. What a privilege it is to get to bring your work here. I’m personally so excited for more.”
Kate Tucker Fahlsing,Educational Program Manager, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie IL

“Mike is the best. We want him back! Our students, parents and staff loved having him with us. This was the best half day PD that I have offered in a long time. I could go on and on!”
Justin Carver, Principal, Cranberry Middle School, Avery County, NC

“You helped our students uncover dimensions within themselves that some of them didn't even know they had. Thank you for being a window into what their future could be… We are changed a bit because of your visit.”
Chatham Elementary School, Pittsboro, NC

“We still can't get over Mike Wiley's incredible and important performance. Mike breathed life, accuracy and humanity into each of the many characters he portrayed with such a seamless embodiment of physicality and an overarching narrative skill within his engaging one-man storytelling. Mike and his art definitely make an impact on all who experience it. The DAR HE premiere performance for a Chicagoland audience was nothing short of magical. Afterwards, I've never witnessed a more powerfully engaging Q&A session. With members from Till's family, other family of characters portrayed in the piece, and several first-hand witnesses from Till's Chicago viewing in attendance, the Q&A got flipped on its head and you saw Mike's utter devotion, respect for the significance of this history and the desire to further enhance his performance as he instead asked these folks for more detail on what it was like and how they felt. The ways in which Mike connected with our audience left us speechless. More than one staff person who was here for the show has come up and said that it made them proud to work here. I could not agree more.”
David Vish, Director of Marketing, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Skokie IL

“In my thirty-one years in education, I cannot remember any performance that matches his wonderful blend of humor, history, reflection, student involvement and lasting impact. Mesmerizing…truly a gift. In a matter of minutes, he won undivided attention and taught more history than could be taught in a week. He is doing very important work.”
Dr. B. Redmond, Supt., Newton Conover Schools, NC

“Mike Wiley’s ability to transform himself into many characters carries this film much farther than the usual acting triumph of multiple characters does, because by portraying an entire cast, black, white, female or male, he addresses the heinous nature of hate. His work reminds us in every frame that we are all of one humanity.”
Deirdre Haj, Executive Director, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Durham, 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


Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart


Dar He: The Story of Emmett Till


Big Night In for the Arts

Courtesy of WRAL-TV