A little about MWR
In the not so distant past, Michael Wayne Rice, creator of "KEEPSAKE: Our Eternal Story", created the now defunct "Cool As Hell Theatre Podcast". In it's heyday, it was the first podcast of its kind. It was created to help market and promote the theatre community in the SF Bay Area. But it became bigger than that. It was the first independently produced podcast to be picked up and distributed by KQED online (sister station for NPR) in S.F. CA. Michael produced over 180 interviews with theatre artists, including Pulitzer, Tony, Obie winners and others winners at various theatre institutions.
His podcasting career led him to being a podcast consultant for Theatre Bay Area for 2 years, where he helped theatres manage podcasts, and also led symposiums on marketing for theatre. He was also a podcast consultant for David Perry and Associates for a few years. This happened because MWR's podcast was discovered by a producer of The California Report, featured on KQED online, nominated for The People's Choice podcast award for best arts podcast (losing out to NPR"s "This American Life"), and nominated for a PUBBY award by a group of publicists in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Artists and Theatres Helped!
Artists I've helped market and promote
- Bill Irwin (Actor) -- Roger Rees (Actor) -- Naomi Wallace (Playwright)
- Paula Vogel (Playwright) -- Robert Brustein (Yale Rep) -- Mike Daisy (Monologist)
- Will Franken (Comedian) -- W. Kamau Bell (Comedian) -- Peter Nachtrieb (Playwright)
- Hafiz Karmali (Director) -- Liebe Wetzel (Lunatique Fantastique) -- Harry Elam (Stanford Professor)
- Jim Jarett (Meisner Teacher) --Mugwumpin (Performance Group) -- Tom Ross (A.D. Aurora Theatre)
- Robert Kelley (A.D. Theatreworks) -- Lisa Tromovitch (A.D. LSF) -- Jeffrey Horowitz (A.D. TFANA)
- Chloe Veltman (NPR Arts Critic) -- David Perry (Marketing and PR Firm) -- Gary Carr (PR)
- Plus hundreds of others. Literally! (Ask me about the Cool As Hell Theatre Podcast. Or see below.)
Theatres performed at or helped market / promote
- Cal Shakes -- Berkeley Rep --San Francisco Playhouse
- A.C.T. -- TheatreWorks -- Marin Shakes
- Magic Theatre -- Aurora Theatre -- SF Mime Troupe
- Reduced Shakespeare -- San Francisco Fringe Festival -- Livermore Shakespeare Festival
- Missouri Rep -- Lorraine Hansberry -- Coterie Theatre
- Dragon Theatre -- Pear Theatre -- Renegade Theatre Experiment
- Crowded Fire Theatre -- Silicon Valley Shakespeare -- Riant Theatre -- Actors Alley
- Bankhead Theatre -- TheatreworksUSA-- Grand Theatre Tracy -- Golden Thread Productions
Awards
More about MWR
MWR is a 20 year veteran in the performing arts industry as an actor, director, and educator. He considers himself a theatre professional. So much so, he bought the domain name: www.TheatreProfessional.com
With a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Acting / Directing, he has acted / directed over 40 productions. He has won multiple small theatre awards for his performances in multiple plays. He was recognized by Theatre Bay Area for his performance in "The Mountain Top". The same show was also nominated for an award by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (2016).
As a professor he has taught at 3 universities and 1 college, done numerous workshops at colleges and high schools, and is a teaching artist at Livermore Shakespeare Festival (where he is also an associate artist). He was also an associate artist for the now defunt Renegade Theatre Experiment, and was an invited artist to the now defunct Magic Theatre Gym in S.F.. He also created a one-man show called "Soul-Star", which he wrote, co-directed, produced (including all marketing materials), and performed in S.F. and L.A.