Michelle Ray

The Basics
I'm a mom, a wife, a teacher, and a lover of many forms of entertainment (list of favorites down below).
I grew up in Los Angeles, and have lived in NYC (where my heart is), Mt. Kisco, NY, Boston, MA,
and currently Silver Spring, MD.
I teach middle school English and a literature elective. I also direct shows in and outside of school.
Musicals and Shakespeare are my favorite genres to watch and to bring to the stage.
Writing inspiration comes from my own life, as well as books, movies, TV shows, and theater.


And then some more . . .

Did I always want to be a writer?
Nope. In college I majored in drama, and thought I would be a director. Then I reconsidered (it’s a very competitive field and a tough lifestyle), and decided to become a teacher.  I taught elementary school for 11 years and have been teaching middle school ever since. When I told my high school teachers about my career choice, they said, “That’s what you told us you’d be before you left for college.” I totally forgot I’d meant to be a teacher.
As time passed, I realized that as much as I love teaching, I missed storytelling. I found that I enjoyed developing my own stories on the page as much as interpreting other people's stories for the stage. Also, the characters I write do exactly as I ask them unlike real live actors.
Live theater still speaks to me, though, and I happily direct student productions, as well.


Did I like school?
Definitely. I was the kind of kid who wanted to have lunch with teachers, enjoyed summer school (well, I was doing photography class and plays, so it wasn’t too intense), and was sad to graduate.  No tales of being a horrible misfit here. Does this make me a nerd? Probably. I own that.


What makes me laugh?
Everything. People falling down. Rude noises. A good story. Silly faces. Wit.
And when I laugh, I laugh big.
Even at my photo shoot, I couldn’t stay serious. (Enjoyed goofing around with Kristin from Anna Elliott Photography.)


Hamlet and Macbeth are violent plays and a lot of my favorite movies are violent. Am I a violent person?
I get asked this quite a lot. I’m kind of a wimp, and real fights (verbal and physical) upset me deeply. That said, I’ve always been drawn to the darker moments of life and to serious dramas. Violence and death are, well, dramatic, so they make interesting stories.


Some Favorite Entertainment Things . . .
(in case you're curious)

Books
Harry Potter (all of them), Code Name Verity, Pigeon Wants a Puppy, Tuck Everlasting, The Outsiders,
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Every Day, Pride & Prejudice, Fahrenheit 451,
On Writing, The Age of Innocence, You Can't Bring a Balloon to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Movies
Dead Poet's Society, Pride & Prejudice, Goonies, Sense & Sensibility, Little Women, The Godfather,
Philadelphia Story, Romeo + Juliet, Hamlet, Pleansantville, Kill Bill 1 & 2, Gross Pointe Blank, The Princess Bride,
When Harry Met Sally, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, Kings of Summer, Good Will Hunting


Plays & Musicals
Hamlet, The Kentucky Cycle, Our Town, Angels in America, Hamilton, Falsettos, Romeo & Juliet, Noises Off, The Crucible, Pride & Prejudice + Sense & Sensibility (adapted by Kate Hamill), Mean Girls, Merrily We Roll Along,
Mama Mia, Into the Woods, 12th Night, Dear Evan Hansen, Bandstand, Newsies, Falsettos