Michael Dexter is a Chattanooga native, ans a graduate of CCA (Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts). After receiving his Bachelor in Musical Theater from the University of Miami Frost School of Music, he quickly climbed his own beanstalk to the theatrical heavens in NYC with Wanda’s World (Originated Ethan: Off- Broadway). Michael is an Advanced Composer in the NYC Lehman Engle BMI Musical Theater Workshop.
He has appeared in Les Miserables (Jean ValJean), Eve Apart (Serpent), The Beth Falcone Songbook (Lincoln Center), Dreamgirls (Little Albert: Benefit Concert for ReVision Theatre, Asbury, NJ), Smokey Joe’s Café (Victor: Europe & Middle East Tours), and Finding Nemo, The Musical (Original cast: Disney's Animal Kingdom). Michael also holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Music Education, and a Master's in Education: Principal Licensure from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Michael teaches Theater & Piano at the Chattanooga Preparatory School. He is proud and excited to curate his own program at CPS. Cheers to the DREAMERS!
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Giant Steps, An UrBEAN Musical
Directed by Broadway star Billy Porter. Book by Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award-nominated Eric H. Weinberger. Music and lyrics by newcomer Michael Dexter.
Giant Steps, A UrBEAN Musical is a contemporary twist on the classic fairytale “Jack & The Beanstalk” that will delight young and old, alike. Set in the inner city of a major American metropolis, Giant Steps follows the story of J Johnson, a 15-year-old boy, who lives with his widowed mother in a miserable tenement basement apartment. J escapes the dreariness and sadness of his reality thru comic books and fantasizes about becoming a superhero. A chance encounter with a street vendor leaves J with magical beans that will forever change his fate. With music that ranges from gospel to calypso, this musical will climb off the vine and into your heart.
The Theater Makers Studio
Founded by Tony Award-winning Broadway Producer, Ken Davenport, The TheaterMakers Studio is
the training program and community that will take your career in the the theater to the next stage with the guidance and support of industry experts.
Members will be trained by a World-Class Faculty. Members will receive certification in Script, Development and Production Mastery courses. Members will join a world-renoun creative community. Members will have access to hundreds of podcasts, resources and coaching calls.
I am super excited to be apart of this ever growing FABULOUS community!
Lehman Engle BMI Musical Theater Workshop (advance composer)
Musical Theatre is America’s natural treasure, and BMI’s support for this cherished form is but one more example of its commitment to the writers and publishers of all genres of music.
In 1961, BMI joined forces with the late Lehman Engel, dean of American musical theatre conductors, to create a setting in which new writers for the musical theatre could learn their craft.
An innovative program at its inception, the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop continues to flourish in its fiftieth year, and is considered to be the foremost training ground for new writing voices, nurturing shows like A Chorus Line, Little Shop of Horrors, Nine, Once On This Island, Ragtime, Avenue Q,Next To Normal, and The Book of Mormon. The Workshop received a special Tony Award in 2007, and a Drama Desk Award in 2006.
During the First Year, songwriters explore the basics of writing for the musical theatre through a series of assignments, which culminates in the creation of a 10-minute musical presented at the conclusion of the year. This class is moderated by Patrick Cook and Frederick Freyer.
The Second Year concentrates on the creation of a complete full-length musical, emphasizing the relationship of the libretto (“book”) to the score. At the conclusion of the Second Year, participants present excerpts from their musicals in progress. The year is moderated by Patrick Cook, Frederick Freyer, and David Spencer. A limited number of writers from the Second Year group are invited into the Advanced Workshop.
The Advanced Workshop combines members who have come up through the ranks as well as seasoned professionals presenting work from ongoing musicals. Participation is by invitation only. Moderators include Lynn Ahrens, Michael Korie,Robert Lopez, Richard Maltby, and Maury Yeston.
The Dramatists Guild of America is the national, professional membership trade association of theatre writers including playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists.
The Guild was established for the purpose of aiding dramatists in protecting both the artistic and economic integrity of their work.
We believe that a vibrant, vital, and provocative theatre is an essential element of the ongoing cultural debate which informs the citizens of a free society; and that if such a theatre is to survive, the unique, idiosyncratic voices of the men, women, trans and non-binary artists who write for it must be cultivated and protected.
Dramatists are viewed by the law as property owners who license the use of their property, rather than employees entitled to collectively bargain for the conditions of their labor. To that end, we maintain model contracts for all levels of productions (including Broadway, regional, and smaller theatres) and encourage our members to use these contracts when negotiating with producers. These contracts embody the Guild’s overarching objectives of protecting the dramatist’s control over the content of their work, ensuring that the dramatist is compensated for each use of their work in a way that will encourage them to continue writing for the living stage.
In addition to our contract services, the Guild acts as an aggressive public advocate for dramatists’ interests and assists dramatists in developing both their artistic and business skills through our publications, which are distributed nationally, and educational programs, which we sponsor around the country.