Michael J. Barnes (ay5980)
University information
Contact information
Department of Theatre and Dance
313-577-5758
By appointment
3226 Old Main
4841 Cass Ave.
Michael J. Barnes, Interim Chair & Associate Professor, and teaches voice & speech, directing, and acting in the graduate and undergraduate acting programs. He previously served as the department's Artistic Director of the department and the university's Chief Privacy Officer. He has also been on the faculty of the Broadway Theatre Project--with Artistic Director, Ben Vereen; the University of Miami; and Temple University, and taught at UC-Irvine, the University of Delaware, and the University of Central Oklahoma.
He has served as a voice, speech, dialect, & text coach for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Arena Stage, Wilma Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company, Studio Theatre (DC), Rep Stage Company, the Pearl Theatre (NYC), People's Light and Theatre, Venture Theatre, Everyman Theatre, and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.
He has dialect coached the films The Witch (Sundance Film Festival Award Winner; Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie), Master Class (Faye Dunaway), Convicted (Aidan Quinn, Kelly Preston, Connie Nielson, Tim Daly; directed by Academy Award winner Bille August) and Broken Bridges (Kelly Preston, Toby Keith, Burt Reynolds, Tess Harper; directed by Steven Goldman).
He recently decided to start performing again and has acted at the Richmond Shakespeare Festival and Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. He was formerly President of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) and is the Director of Technology of the Fitzmaurice Institute.
Accents for Stage and Film
Speech improvement
Vocal Training for the Speaking Voice - Fitzmaurice Voicework
Certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework
MFA - Theatre Voice Coaching and Training, The National Theatre Conservatory
BFA - Theatre Performance, University of Oklahoma
Advanced Certificate - Cambridge University, UK
Voice and Gender, Topical Editor - The Voice & Speech Review
"Standard Speech: Results of a Survey," World of Voice, The Voice & Speech Review, 2011
Ancient Greek Pronunciation Dictionary
Courses taught by Michael J. Barnes
Fall Term 2023 (current)
- THR2585 - Theatre Studio - Theatre Management
- THR3585 - Advanced Theatre Studio - Theatre Management
- THR6661 - Marketing the Theatre
Spring-Summer Term 2023
Winter Term 2023
- THR1215 - Acting II
- THR2581 - Theatre Studio - Performance
- THR2584 - Theatre Studio - Stage Management
- THR2585 - Theatre Studio - Theatre Management
- THR3584 - Advanced Theatre Studio - Stage Management
- THR3585 - Advanced Theatre Studio - Theatre Management
Fall Term 2022
Winter Term 2022
Fall Term 2021
- THR4231 - Voice Lab IV
- THR7231 - Voice and Speech III - Vocalizing Heightened Language & Shakespeare