Michael Arden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Michael Jerrod Moore (born October 6, 1982), known professionally as Michael Arden, is an American actor and theatre director. Arden has received two Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Musical, winning for the revival of the musical Parade in 2023 and Maybe Happy Ending in 2025.

Early life

Arden described his upbringing as "rocky."[1] He was born to a very young mother who struggled with drugs and alcohol and his father died by suicide when Arden was around 2 years old. Arden went on to live with his grandparents, Pat and Jim Moore, in Midland, Texas from the 5th grade onwards.[1][2] Starting in the 5th grade, he was a student at Trinity School, a college preparatory school in Midland.[2] He was bullied in his youth for being gay.[3]

Arden's interest in acting began when he was four years old and his grandparents took him to see Sesame Street Live. He was active in the Pickwick Players, Midland Community Theatre's youth performing company.[4][2] He also built theatrical sets in his grandparents' garage.[5] A Presidential Scholar in the arts, he received a scholarship to Interlochen Arts Academy as a theater student, where he graduated in 2001.[6][7] He was accepted on a full scholarship[8] to the Juilliard School, where he was in the Drama Division's Group 34 (2001–2005).[9] He left Juilliard in 2003 to join the Broadway revival company of the musical Big River.[10]

Career

Theatre

Arden made his Broadway debut as Tom Sawyer in the 2003 Roundabout and Deaf West revival of Big River.[11] He also starred opposite John Hill in the 2004 off-Broadway show Bare, a Pop Opera.[12] In summer 2005, he played Nick, a sexually promiscuous gay man in love with a shark, in Adam Bock's surreal play Swimming in the Shallows at New York's Second Stage Theatre.[13] He played the title character in Pippin for the World AIDS Day Broadway benefit concert in November 2004.[14] He starred in the Twyla Tharp musical The Times They Are A-Changin', based on the music of Bob Dylan,[15] which ran January 25 to March 5, 2006, at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, California and then on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre from October 26 to November 19, 2006.[16]

File:Arden, Michael (2006).jpg
Arden performing with the cast of The Times They Are a-Changin' in 2006 at a Broadway on Broadway concert.

In 2007, he starred as John Robert in Ace at the Old Globe Theatre from January 13 to February 18.[17] In the summer of 2007, he toured Europe with Barbra Streisand as one of her "Broadway Boys."[10][1] From July to September 2010, he played the lead role in a revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.[18][19][20]

Arden's regional theatre credits include Pippin,[21] God of Vengeance, Falsettoland, Tom Jones' Harold and Maude, West Side Story, Songs for a New World, The Common Pursuit, and The Winter's Tale.[22]

Beginning in October 2014, Arden played the role of Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame musical at San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse.[23][24] The production ran from October 26 to December 7, 2014, and at Paper Mill Playhouse from March 4 to April 5, 2015.[25]

Arden directed Deaf West Theatre's acclaimed Broadway revival of Spring Awakening. The production featured a cast made up of both deaf and hearing actors, performed simultaneously in American Sign Language and English. The production began in at Inner City Arts in Los Angeles in September 2014,[26] transferred to the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills in May 2015, and finally transferred to Broadway, where it began previews September 8, 2015, and opened on September 27, 2015, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.[27] On May 3, 2016, Arden received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for his work on the Spring Awakening revival.[28]

Arden went on to direct the musical My Fair Lady at the Bay Street Theater in Southampton, New York in August 2016.[29] He then returned as the first artist-in-residence at the Wallis Annenberg Center, where he directed productions of The Pride and Merrily We Roll Along,[30] the latter of which earned him a 2017 Ovation Awards nomination for Best Director of a Musical.[31]

Arden directed the first Broadway revival of Once on This Island, which began previews on November 9, 2017, and opened on December 3 at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran until January 6, 2019.[32] The acclaimed revival was nominated for seven Drama Desk Awards[33] and eight Tony Awards, including a second Best Director Tony nomination for Arden.[34]

Arden directed Annie at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2018 for the venue's annual summer musical production.[35] Following this, Arden was directed Jefferson Mays in his one-man adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse beginning October 2018.[36] Arden directed the American premiere of Maybe Happy Ending at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in January 2020.[37] In November 2022, Arden directed a production of Jason Robert Brown's Parade for New York City Center's 2022 gala.[38] The production transferred to Broadway in March 2023.[39] This production won Arden the 2023 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical.[3] Arden directed the Broadway premiere of Maybe Happy Ending, which opened in fall 2024 at the Belasco Theatre.[40] He won a Tony Award for Best Director for the show.[41]

Television

He has appeared on ABC's Grey's Anatomy (in the episode "17 Seconds" as Neal Hannigan) and in NUMB3RS for CBS.[42][43] He was cast in the Fox show The Return of Jezebel James, which cancelled after three episodes in the spring of 2008.[44] Arden had a recurring role in the NBC series Kings as Joseph.[45] He also guest starred in an episode of The Closer as well as guest starring in an episode of Bones.[46][47] In August 2011, Arden was cast in a recurring role on The Good Wife.[48] He had a regular role in the FX series Anger Management.[49]

Film

Arden featured in Colin Spoelman's independent film The Cave Movie (2009).[50] He also acted in the 2011 movie Source Code and appeared as Kevin in the film Bride Wars.[51][52]

Composing and writing

As a composer, Arden has written several works, including Easter Rising,[53] As You Like It,[54] and Ripley.[55]

Personal life

Arden is gay.[56] He got engaged to fellow actor Andy Mientus on June 23, 2014. He and Mientus had both planned proposals to each other the same day without the other knowing.[57] They married on August 18, 2016, at Babington House, Somerset, England.[58] They have been together since 2011. The two first met in 2006 during the opening night party of the Broadway show The Times They Are-a-Changin', in which Arden was a performer.[57]

Theater credits

Acting
Year Production Role Category
2003 Big River Tom Sawyer Broadway
2004 Bare Peter Off-Broadway
Pippin Pippin New York (concert)
2005 Regional (concert)
Swimming in the Shallows Nick Off-Broadway
The Secret Garden Dickon New York (concert)
2006 The Times They Are A-Changin' Coyote Regional
Broadway
2007 Ace John Robert Regional
2010 Aspects of Love Alex Dillingham Off-West End
2013 Ragtime Younger Brother New York (concert)
2014–2015 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Quasimodo Regional
2019 King Lear Aide to Cornwall Broadway
Directing
Year Production Credit Category
2008 A Tale of Two Cities Assistant Director Broadway
2014–2015 Spring Awakening Director Los Angeles (Deaf West Theatre)
2015–2016 Broadway
2016 My Fair Lady Director Regional
2016 Merrily We Roll Along Director Los Angeles
2017 The Pride Director Los Angeles
2017–2019 Once on This Island Director Broadway
2018 Annie Director Los Angeles
2018 A Christmas Carol Director Los Angeles
2020 Maybe Happy Ending Director Atlanta
2022–2023 A Christmas Carol Director Broadway
2022 Parade Director New York City Center
2023 Broadway
2024 The Queen of Versailles Director Boston
2024 Maybe Happy Ending Director Broadway
2025 The Queen of Versailles Director Broadway

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Script error: No such module "Sort". Pinafore Actor
2009 Bride Wars Kevin
2009 The Cave Movie Sam
2011 Nurse Jackée Gabe Short film
2011 Source Code Derek Frost
2012 Script error: No such module "Sort". Doug Wert
2016 So B. It Elliot

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Numb3rs Whitley Episode: "Backscatter"
2006 Grey's Anatomy Neal Hannigan Episode: "17 Seconds"
2008 Cashmere Mafia Denis Episode: "Dog Eat Dog"
2008 Script error: No such module "Sort". Buddy 3 episodes
2009 Bones Harold Prescott Episode: "The Bond in the Boot"
2009 Script error: No such module "Sort". James Clark Episode: "Identity Theft"
2009 Kings Joseph Lasile 3 episodes
2010 Script error: No such module "Sort". James Poole Episode: "Mama Jane"
2011 The Good Wife Finn Episode: "Get a Room"
2011 Off the Map Pher 2 episodes
2011 Unforgettable Joe Williams Episode: "Lost Things"
2012–2014 Anger Management Patrick Main cast
2012 GCB Reverend Steve Stewart 2 episodes
2012 Script error: No such module "Sort". Evan Kress Episode: "War of the Roses"
2012 Nurse Jackie Gabe Episode: "Slow Growing Monsters"
2012 Royal Pains Homer Episode: "Some Pig"
2019 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Milken Prince 3 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2015 Ovation Awards Direction of a Musical Spring Awakening Won
2016 Tony Awards Best Direction of a Musical Nominated
Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Director of a Musical Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Director of a Musical Won
2018 Tony Awards Best Direction of a Musical Once on This Island Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Director of a Musical Nominated
2023 Tony Awards Best Direction of a Musical Parade Won
Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Director of a Musical Won
2025 Tony Awards Best Direction of a Musical Maybe Happy Ending Won
Outer Critics Circle Awards Outstanding Director of a Musical Won
Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Director of a Musical Won
Drama League Awards Outstanding Direction of a Musical Won

See also

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  54. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  55. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  56. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  57. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  58. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

External links

Script error: No such module "navboxes". Template:DramaDesk MusicalDirection Script error: No such module "Navbox".Script error: No such module "navboxes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Michael_Arden&oldid=2847414"