Kristina Lear
I met Michael when I was 19. I had just returned from hitchhiking across the country and was looking for work. Tina Ball suggested I answer phones at the Circle Rep offices. It profoundly affected the course of my life. In a nutshell, Michael said yes to me. Yes in welcoming me. Yes to my doing a reading of a play that Bruce McCarty wanted to cast me in, yes to my then doing the play, yes to my becoming a company member. He was hugely warm and supportive. I know he said yes to a lot of artists and gave us the space and time to try all kinds of stuff. Circle was my first artistic home and I have never known anything quite like it. I also had the pleasure of being directed by Michael and the sublime experience of acting with him. On stage he was an example of what nobody can teach. He just was. So full of life. For some being on stage prunes the synapses and you get an authentic but streamlined person. For Michael, being on stage seemed to turn every possible connection on and the effect was magnificent. He was a wonderful human who seemed to take great joy in other people and their messy humanness. I feel very lucky to have know him and been championed by him. I am sorry to his family for your loss.
Monday August 1, 2016 at 1:01 pm
