Michael's profile
Michael L. Harding, born 1952, bitten by the theater-bug at age 15 during summer camp. Somehow the Camp Director talked Michael into playing the role of Purlie' Victorious written by Ossie Davis. (A quote from Michael) “I can’t image how I got thru the singing parts.”
Next Michael entered High School and did not get along with the Drama Club. He was a bit of a Black Militant in a 90% all White school. There he put all his energy learning the trade to become an electrician. By his senior year, the bug bit again. Michael took the music of Isaac Hayes' SHAFT, and recruited students & teachers to create the school's 1st Black History week performance.
The Actor and Producer bug had both taken its toll by 1972, by 1982 the Writer's bug came into existence. Michael saw his parents disagreed about being called Negro vs. Colored. He noticed four other racial-identities within his own household. That first stage play is called THE SIX OF US. Produced on the 21st floor of the Baltimore's World Trade Center / Inner Harbor
One wife and five children later, the theater bug resurfaced in 1999 while living in Philadelphia. With the blessing of his Pastor, the church supported the stage play written about his Baltimore family. Moving back to Baltimore in 2002, Michael met
Bard Management and began the development of his church play to commercial product.
An Ensemble was then created, that later led to Resident Actors, which later led to the creation of it's own community theater company called OTR [OnTheRoad] Theater Company & Acting Studio. Open to New Writers, and of course the many more new stories by Michael Leroy Harding.
Next Michael entered High School and did not get along with the Drama Club. He was a bit of a Black Militant in a 90% all White school. There he put all his energy learning the trade to become an electrician. By his senior year, the bug bit again. Michael took the music of Isaac Hayes' SHAFT, and recruited students & teachers to create the school's 1st Black History week performance.
The Actor and Producer bug had both taken its toll by 1972, by 1982 the Writer's bug came into existence. Michael saw his parents disagreed about being called Negro vs. Colored. He noticed four other racial-identities within his own household. That first stage play is called THE SIX OF US. Produced on the 21st floor of the Baltimore's World Trade Center / Inner Harbor
One wife and five children later, the theater bug resurfaced in 1999 while living in Philadelphia. With the blessing of his Pastor, the church supported the stage play written about his Baltimore family. Moving back to Baltimore in 2002, Michael met
Bard Management and began the development of his church play to commercial product.
An Ensemble was then created, that later led to Resident Actors, which later led to the creation of it's own community theater company called OTR [OnTheRoad] Theater Company & Acting Studio. Open to New Writers, and of course the many more new stories by Michael Leroy Harding.
