Author Profile:  Mike Steele

Mike Steele has been writing and directing from far back as he can remember.  His life in the theatre began at the age of five when he gathered old bedsheets and constructed a stage in his basement so that he could direct a production of Snow White and the Two Dwarfs.  Mike could not round up enough friends to cast seven dwarfs, so his adaptation had to be slightly non-traditional.  His childhood weekends consisted mostly of forcing his friends and family to watch his original basement plays.  Mike spent the bulk of his teenage years performing in school and community theatre productions and continued to act through college while he completed a BS in elementary education and sociology.

Shortly before earning his degree, a local high school asked Mike to direct a play for a small group of students.  The gig continued through the next year, and then the next, and he hasn't looked back since.  Mike soon began to write full length plays and found ways to incorporate his students into the creative process.  This evolved into what he now refers to as his cooperative drama program.

Mike continues to direct school and community theatre productions and has taught cooperative drama workshops to a variety of students throughout the years - from elementary schoolers to senior citizens - as near as his hometown of Trenton, New Jersey, to as far as Bangkok, Thailand.  He is happy to have found a way to combine his love of theatre and his passion for education.

In Mike's spare time he enjoys exploring new places, watching television and films, and pretending like he knows how to play tennis.  You can learn more about Mike and his plays on his website.