John-Michael Marrs
Acting, Head of Performance
Theatre Arts
John-Michael Marrs is an assistant professor of acting in Baylor University's Department of Theatre Arts. He teaches courses in audition technique and the business of acting, period styles of performance, realism, Viewpoints, and the intersections of Christianity and Western Theatre. Additionally, he is a faculty member in the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core. John-Michael received his Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Alabama/Alabama Shakespeare Festival, and is a proud alumnus of Baylor University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre.
Upon completion of his studies, John-Michael lived and worked as a professional actor in New York and various regional markets. Off-Broadway, he has performed with the New York Classical Theatre (Richard III) and the Ohio Theatre (Hater with Merritt Wever*). Regional credits include the Shakespeare Theatre Company (Julius Caesar; Antony and Cleopatra, director Michael Kahn**), the Denver Center*** (The Liar+, The Taming of the Shrew), the Denver Center's Colorado New Play Summit (The Hand of God, director Pam MacKinnon++), Pioneer Theatre Company (Dracula), and two seasons with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival (numerous productions including Heracles; Treasure Island; Twelfth Night; Man of La Mancha; The Three Sisters; The Illusion; Disney's Beauty and the Beast; Henry VI, pts. 1, 2, & 3; Richard III; and Doctor Faustus). Television and voiceover credits include Mystery of Matter (PBS; director, Muffie Meyer+++) and Vital Voices' 2011 Fatema Akbari Tribute at the Kennedy Center. Locally, John-Michael has performed with Amphibian Stage Productions (Cyrano•; Freud’s Last Session) and WaterTower Theatre (Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice+; The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens, and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord+; One Man, Two Guvnors; and The Explorers Club+ (a coproduction with Stage West Theatre in Ft. Worth).
John-Michael has trained and devised work with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company and is a certified actor combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors. John-Michael is a member of Actors' Equity Association. In addition to his theatrical pursuits, he has worked in both recruitment and development with the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and Yale University, respectively.
*Emmy Award (Winner), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Nurse Jackie
**Inductee, American Theatre Hall of Fame; 2012 Tony Award (Winner), Outstanding Regional Theatre Award: Shakespeare Theatre Company; 1986 Tony Award (Winner), Outstanding Regional Theatre Award: American Shakespeare Festival; 1976 Tony Award (Nominee), Best Direction of a Musical: Show Boat; et al.
***1998 Tony Award (Winner), Outstanding Regional Theatre Award
+Regional Premiere
++2013 Tony Award (Winner), Best Direction of a Play: Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?; 2012 Tony Award (Nominee), Best Direction of a Play: Clybourne Park
+++Director, Emmy Award-Winning Documentaries Grey Gardens (1975), and Benjamin Franklin (2002); Directors Guild of America (Twice Nominated)
•World Premiere