About Michael James Fry
Michael James Fry grew up in a small town in Ohio; and when he was young, his parents took him to see many professional Broadway touring companies who performed full-length plays and musicals at **Memorial Hall** , located in nearby [downtown] Dayton, through association with the Kenley Players. It was at this early-teen age in the 1970's that Michael had the good fortune to meet, face-to-face, with Vincent Price, Mickey Rooney, Lucy Arnez, Don Ameche, Shirley Jones, Shawn Cassidy, Ann Miller, Tommy Tune, David Birney, James Farentino, Henry Winkler, Barry Williams, Roz Kelly, Brenda Vacarro and many others - and thus accordingly, his lifelong desire to become an actor in the theatre was vibrantly born.Michael's first theatrical performance - (outside of playing an average shepherd; or, on one occasion, Joseph, in various Christmas plays in a local church) - was as a sailor in the chorus of a junior high school production of Gilbert & Sullivan's "H.M.S. Pinafore", in which he wore his father's [authentic] US Navy uniform. He went on to become involved with a few different theatrical productions at Tecumseh High School - (near New Carlisle, Ohio, where he graduated from in 1982) - including operating a follow-spot light for a production of, "The Boyfriend", playing the role of Mr. Witherspoon in, "Arsenic & Old Lace", playing the role of a Travelling Salesman in, "The Music Man", one cameo appearance as "an actor" in the Carl Reiner play, "Enter Laughing" and a few different appearances at various on-campus events and other local events with the high school choir, including one appearance at the old Masonic Home in Springfield, Ohio. While attending Tecumseh High School, Michael simultaneously attended a drama school called, "The Maple Lane Players" - (near Urbana, Ohio) - wherein he studied acting, singing and dancing while appearing in and doing tech for local productions there, in the small sheep-barn-converted-into-a-theatre, including playing the role of The Executioner in a staged production of "Alice in Wonderland," he was in the chorus of the musical, "Stop the World, I Want to Get Off", he played Mr. Snow in the musical, "Carousel", and also Tony in "West Side Story" - AND - In addition to doing tech or acting in other shows there, he also danced in a touring company produced by The Maple Lane Players called, "4th Position" and did some standard tech for The Maple Lane Touring Company.In the fall of 1982, Michael began his studies in the Professional Actor Training Program at Wright State University, in Dayton, Ohio, where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre from the College of Liberal Arts, in 1986. Favorite roles played at the university include E.F. Albee in the musical, "George M!", and he was in the chorus of the musicals, "Candide" and "Most Happy Fella", he played Don Giovanni in the popular play, "Amadeus," Tybalt, from Shakespeare's, "Romeo and Juliet", and Woof in the tribal Love-Rock musical, 'HAIR." His acting thesis project was based upon the question of whether or not Charles Manson was a product of society as posed in the writing and production of an original one-man play entitled, "Piggie, Piggie, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb", in which he successfully played the role of Charles Manson - (the only two performances of the show were "standing room only") - and the show was well-received by both the public and the entire acting staff. He also did one puppet show while at the university; and performed i...