Marshall Miles Interviews Michael Baldwin, New Director of Education at the Sharon Playhouse

Baldwin will guide all new and existing educational programming, including off season classes, summer youth theater and community outreach while ensuring that all is fostered through a lens of equity, cultural awareness and sensitivity. He will also collaborate with and support the Artistic Director and Managing Director with season planning and operations.

“As a teaching theater, education is very important to us…be it classes for all ages or our acclaimed children’s theater. We’re thrilled to welcome Michael and begin this new chapter at the Sharon Playhouse and expand our educational programming.” says Artistic Director Alan M-L Wager.

"To my mind teaching is theater!' said Emily Soell, Board President.  "The teachers I remember were not the scholars, but those who knew and cared so deeply about their subject, they made them breathe and come alive.   Now we have Director of Education for the Playhouse whose love of theater is palpable and can both teach and act!  That's the reason why the addition of Michael to our management team is so exciting to me." 

Michael K. Baldwin, a Salisbury CT native, received a Bachelor's Degree in Theater and Sociology from Skidmore College (Pereclean Scholar) and a Master's Degree in Education from The City College of New York (Bertram Epstein Award for Excellence in Research).  He taught Drama at The Brearley School in Manhattan for seven years, where he received the Sandra Lee Marshall Award for devotion in teaching and the Class of 1992 Award for excellence in teaching.  He has also taught at Hunter College High School, Skidmore College, Acting Manitou Performing Arts Camp, TADA NYC, SOAR, and The Falls Village Children's Theater.  Additionally, he was a keynote speaker for The Educational Theatre Association's "Theater in our Schools" initiative.

As well as an a educator, Baldwin is also a noted performer and first performed on the stage of the Sharon Playhouse when he was 10 years old, playing Billy in The Woman Who Laughed, the world premiere of a play by Joyce Carol Oates, starring Lucie Arnaz. He has also performed throughout the country including playing Tony Whitcomb in Shear Madness at The Kennedy Center in Washington DC and The Notary in The Barber of Seville at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, directed by Bartlett Sher. 

Sharon Playhouse is a not-for-profit 501c-3 theatre that uses a unique blend of professional designers, directors, musicians, Equity actors, non-Equity actors, and dedicated community performers and volunteers.