Author Profile:  Michelle R.  Davis

Michelle Davis grew up on the Canadian prairies before settling on the west coast to pursue a teaching degree at the University of British Columbia.  An educator since 1993, Michelle has enjoyed teaching in both elementary and secondary schools.  She has a Master of Education degree in English Education, specializing in written composition, a B Ed and a BA in English and French.

Michelle “stumbled into” the world of theatre during her first year of teaching, when she unwittingly accepted a position that included teaching drama and directing two plays per year.  Equipped with a few books and a trunk full of costumes, she was quickly initiated into the joys of introducing students to drama.

Michelle has also worked as a newspaper columnist, a freelance writer and editor, and as an artist with the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Learning Through the Arts program, teaching curriculum through creative writing and drama.  She is a member of CWILL, B.C.  (Children’s Writers and Illustrators of B.C.)

Michelle lives in Port Coquitlam, BC with her husband and two young sons.  These days she writes plays and other creative works in a home office littered with Lego, plastic dinosaurs and Matchbox cars.

Michelle enjoys hearing from groups who have produced her plays.

“Drama is a powerful tool in the classroom.  From a simple activity like dragging an imaginary trunk into the room and inviting students to pull an “object” from it to tell a story, to a planned role play activity based on a class novel, drama brings story, imagination and students to life.  It will bring out aspects of your students and yourself that you never knew existed.  Most importantly, it will put imagination at the forefront of your classroom.”
— From a speech Michelle delivered at Authorfest 2006, at the University of BC’s Faculty of Education