Michael D. Jablonski Awarded The Actor’s Fund Grant

 
“It feels like Christmas came early!” says Michael D. Jablonski, first year MFA Directing candidate. This week, Michael became the proud recipient of a Career Transition for Dancers grant from The Actor’s Fund. Founded in 1985, Career Transition for Dancers enables dancers to transition from their performance career and take a new path in their professional journey.

Michael has had a successful career in musical theatre as a dancer for over 20 years. His Broadway credits include Cry Baby, West Side Story, and The Book of Mormon. His National Tour credits include Matilda, The Book of Mormon, West Side Story, Saturday Night Fever, Doctor Dolittle, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (starring Ann Margret), Victor/Victoria, and Brigadoon. It was during his last contract as Dance Captain on the Matilda National Tour that he fell in love with teaching. “I loved to teach someone the show and watch them succeed in the performance and it gave me the same excitement I had for actually performing the show.” Since then, he has taken his experience on the stage and transitioned it into the classroom where he has taught master classes for many universities and dance centers across the globe.

This grant will enable Michael to pursue his dream of becoming a tenure-track professor for a BFA Musical Theatre program. “I want to inspire and guide young artists into their professional careers,” says Michael. He would also like to give a special thanks to Barbara Thomas for all her help during the application process. For more information on The Actor’s Fund and its various programs, click here.