Michael Kirkland

Dr. Michael Kirkland is a professor in the Department of Theatre Arts at Regent University, in Virginia Beach, Va where he specializes in acting, directing and stage combat. He is a member of Actors Equity Association, is Screen Actors Guild (eligible), and is a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors. His love of acting can be traced back to when he won the coveted role of Amahl in his elementary school's production of "Amahl and the Night Visitors". He finally became hooked in High School where he played a string of leads along with Candi James, whom he would marry in 1980. He would then go on to pursue an MFA in Acting & Directing at the University of Mississippi, post graduate work in directing at the University of Michigan, and the Ph.D. in the History, Theory, Criticism, and Literature of the Theatre. His professional acting experience began by playing Bob Holtz, in Mike Talbot's biographically inspired Indie "The Reunion", while attending undergraduate school at Cal. State Fullerton. During his third year at CSUF, he was cast in the role of Deputy Bobby Tate in Randy Tate's award winning hit original musical parody of the Old West, "Sagebrush," that premiered at the Cast Theatre in Hollywood, and then transferred to Milt Larsen's Variety Arts Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, before engaging on a brief tour on the Dinner Theatre circuit. While pursuing the Ph.D. in Theatre at the University of Utah he played the male lead in the KCACTF National winner,"Idioglossia," which would later be picked up by Jodie Foster and turned into the motion picture, "Nell". While teaching in Texas he made an appearance opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh in the undercover narcotics cult-film, "Rush," also starring Jason Patric and Same Elliot. Primarily an academic, he has made period appearances on cable broadcast television shows such as, "Medical Detectives" and "A Haunting." He continues to bounce back and forth between professional acting and directing projects and the academy as his schedule permits. He also maintains an active career as a professional fight director. He has worked nationally and internationally as a professional actor, director and fight director. He guest taught at such prestigious UK institutions as London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the Birmingham School of Acting, and MGA Academy of the Performing Arts, in Edinburgh, Scotland. At Regent, Dr. Hill-Kirkland is the on-site coordinator for the Virginia Beach BASH, an annual regional stage and screen combat workshop sanctioned by the Society of American Fight Directors. He teaches courses on the Meisner Approach to acting, Armed and Unarmed Stage Combat, and Advanced Directing. He serves as Chairman of the Department of Theatre Arts at Regent University, i n Virginia Beach, VA, where he teaches Acting (Meisner), Directing, and Stage Combat (SAFD). He lives in Chesapeake with his wife Candi (C.J.), his youngest daughter, Bronwyn, and their two dogs Toby and Gemma. His oldest daughter, Alexis, lives with her husband, Jayson, in Augusta, GA.