Michael Coale Grey discusses not forcing yourself into a specific artistic box!

There are very few people that you meet in this industry that you truly instantly hit it off with. When I met Michael Coale Grey back in 2016, I knew that this guy was going to be a lifelong friend of mine. His talent is truly endless and he has a way of making any role he plays no matter how big or small and turning it into a performance that you’ll remember forever. I have been writing for over 17 years and it is such a joy to have him as one of the faces of my work. Michael has performed all over this country.

Michael recently was seen in the live stream of Jasper in Deadland in October, Rockwood Music Hall in Drew Gasparini and Friends, and at 54 Below! This member of AEA has also performed for well-respected companies such as The Paper Mill Playhouse, Asolo Repertory Theatre, and Goodspeed Musicals, just to name a few!

There are some people who truly deserve all the great things coming their way and Michael Coale Grey is truly one of them! I am very happy to have the chance to interview him! 

How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a performer?  

I must have been about 7 years old. I used to watch the TV and point to the people on the screen and say "I wanna be on the TV!". My parents informed me that was, in fact, a career, and that was that. My Dad came home from work one day with a newspaper that had an open casting call for a role in a movie with Nicole Kidman and asked if I wanted to go.

My mom took me and while I absolutely did NOT get the role, my mom made friends with another mother in the holding room who gave us the information for an agent for child actors/models. I ended up getting signed with them and after 6 months of auditions booked my first commercial.

However, during that time I started taking theater classes and fell in love with the medium and training. So, I stopped going on so many auditions so I could focus on my training. Haven't stopped since. 

Are there any teachers or mentors in your life who truly helped you become the amazing performer you are today? 

There are literally dozens of teachers and mentors in my life who helped me get to where I am now. Some wonders, in particular, are: Patrick Parker, teacher/advisor/mentor from Paper Mill Playhouse; Alexander Kariotis, my former voice teacher/guitar teacher/therapist; Russ Crespolini, a former director/mentor/sidekick; Page O'Connor, who guided me towards the training I needed; Renee Celeste-Lira, director of my former dance studio; Calen Kurka, one of my dance teachers/mentors/life coaches; Jon Colby, former Improv teacher turned colleague turned friend and collaborator; Ralph Perkins, a professor of dance at The Hartt School of Music, Dance, and Theatre; Larry Raiken, my college voice teacher and career sage at Hartt; and Drew Gasparini, as a vocal coach/friend/song-writing mentor. 

And while all of these people (along with countless others) were instrumental in my education, there is one woman who really started it all. Mickey McNany was my first teacher at Paper Mill Playhouse, where I trained for most of my childhood/teenage years. She created the education program at Paper Mill and she was an actual angel walking among us. She taught me the basics of theater, but more importantly, she taught me that kindness, equity, and joy are of the utmost importance in this industry and in life.

Unfortunately, she passed a few years ago, but her teachings are felt throughout the theater community and far beyond, to some of the industry's brightest stars, to hundreds of people working in other fields. There are truly not enough good words in this world to describe the incredible person she was, and I'm forever grateful I had the chance to be her student. 

We are living in some unprecedented times in the world but are very fortunate right now to see a light at the end of the tunnel. For all artists (especially performers) it has definitely been a time of uncertainty. What has your everyday routine been like during Quarantine and what are some things you do to keep your spirits up?  

My everyday routine in quarantine has definitely changed a lot since the pandemic began depending on which season, we were in or how my mood has been on any given day. Just like for everyone, I've found my mental state all over the place on different days. Some days I do nothing but play video games and watch TV (which has secretly been a goal of mine to do since childhood so that's cool). But some things that have really helped me through it all have been: cooking, and really challenging myself in the kitchen.

During the warmer months, I was riding bikes, or Revel scooters around the city. And over the last few months, I have built out a little recording/crafting/self-tape studio in my apartment that has been a great escape. I've been able to make some music videos there and I used the studio as my performance space in October when I played Mr. Lethe in "Jasper in Deadland: The Live-Stream Production". I'm also currently in the process of recording my first EP of all original music!  

And I'd be absolutely remiss to mention my sweet, loving, and wonderful partner Morgan Billings Smith who has kept me laughing and hopeful for the entirety of this pandemic. Love you, Morgie! 

Are there any roles and shows you have done in your career that will always stick out and be near and dear to your heart? 

Of course, there are a few standouts! My first job out of college was in the ensemble of 'Elf: The Musical' at Paper Mill Playhouse. I was given the opportunity to work alongside some of my idols and some of the most fun-loving and inspiring artists I have ever known. Plus, being able to work as a professional at the theater where I grew up was such an awesome full-circle moment. 

In 2015, I was part of the original cast of 'The Theory of Relativity' at Goodspeed Musicals' Norma Terris Theatre. I had participated in a reading of the show in my senior year at Hartt as part of a collaboration with Goodspeed, in which the senior Music Theatre majors are cast in Goodspeed's Festival of New Musicals.

From there, I was asked by writers Brian Hill and Neil Bartram to go with the show to Toronto for a one-off performance at Sheridan College, where the show was originally commissioned. The Norma Terris production was just under a year later, and it was one of the best times of my life. Six weeks in beautiful, spring-time Connecticut, working on a brand-new musical alongside twelve other upcoming early-twenties actors who were all equally excited to be working on a new musical. All of us had an absolute blast and really bonded, we still even have the original group chat going. And then to top it off, a year after the production we were able to record the original cast album, which was a dream come true.

Since then, the show has gone on to become MTI's number 1 trending musical for licensing. To be a part of an original show that then influences so many people is, in my experience, every actor's dream. 

Speaking of original shows, I will always be grateful for and hold a special place in my heart for the chance to create the character of 'Dee' in Kevin Ray Johnson's, 'A (Funny) Imagination: An Unauthorized Parody based on the characters from Doug'. Kevin (the writer of this interview series) and I met in 2016 working on a production of 'Guys and Dolls' at the Asolo Repertory Theatre and since then have gone on to become frequent collaborators. When he asked me if I wanted to originate the role of Dee in his new play based on the Nickelodeon show Doug, I immediately said yes and it has been one of the craziest, fun, explorative shows I have ever worked on. A true pleasure that I hope we can get back to when it is safe to do so. 

What advice would you give any young aspiring artist during these times?  

You are only as limited as your imagination and your work ethic (and, for right now, a bit by the pandemic). But what I mean by this, is that theater, performance, and entertainment is an ever-evolving industry and artform. Just because it has been done a particular way up to now does not mean that's the way it HAS to be now or moving forward. Continue to learn and practice and hone your skills and don't limit yourself to one "thing".

Sing a new song, pick up an instrument, write a story, practice a stand-up routine, film a short-movie in your home with your pet! Create, Create, Create! Your potential is limitless so there's no point in forcing yourself into a specific box.  

And, some words of wisdom from the late Mickey McNany, "There are no small parts, only small actors" AND "Treat EVERYONE with kindness".