THE OFFICIAL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN

Janet is honored and overjoyed to return to MSF for her 14th summer season.

From September to April, you can find her in-role as Associate Professor of Theatre at The University of Michigan-Flint, where she specializes in physical approaches to actor training, ensemble theatre-making, and directing. Janet is down-on-her knees grateful to have served as Artistic Associate with MichiganShakespeare Festival, and in 13 seasons has played over 35 roles that run the spectrum of maids, mothers, madwomen, and magicians; favorite roles include Jacques/As You Like It, Olivia/12N, Paulina/Winter's Tale, Portia/Merchant, Titania (twice), Gertrude/Hamlet (twice), Maria/12N, Portia/JC, Prospera, Regan, Beatrice, Mistress Quickly, Elizabeth/R3, Arkadina, Mme Pernelle/Tartuffe, and wee little Curtis in 2003's Taming of the Shrew - her first MSF season which was also the last outdoor season for MSF.  

Janet is Associate Artist with Flint Repertory Theatre.  Acting: The Mute in Michael Lluberes' nationally-renowned LBGTQ+ reimagining of The Fantasticks; Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; Beatrice in The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds; Amanda in The Glass Menagerie; Winnie in Beckett's Happy Days; The White Witch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Directing: Flint Mural Plays, New Works Festivals. Other Michigan credits include: Thirst and Our Lady of Poison at Williamston Theatre; Elizabeth in Richard III directed by Julia Glander with Performance Network, and Nicely Theatre's 2020 One-Act Festival. 

West coast acting credits include Seattle Public Theatre (Paulina/Winter's Tale), Book-It Rep in Seattle (Rebecca/Rebecca), Harlequin in Olympia WA (Ophelia/Hamlet), Idaho Repertory Theatre (summer 1994), Idaho Theatre for Youth (national and international tours 1995-1998), Boise Contemporary Theatre, and Cornerstone Theater in Los Angeles. Professionally, she’s directed several productions, including The Jungle Book and The Adventures of Huck Finn at Flint Youth Theatre. (both Wilde Award Nominees for Best TYA).  Janet's passion for making performance with/for community in her hometown of Flint, MI ignited several site-specific, ensemble-devised theatre experiences including Restoration of Spirit: Glenwood Cemetery, Awaken the Walls: Flint Riverbank Park,  and 9x Nourished at the Flint Farmers' Market (script by Michael Rohd).  At UM-Flint, Janet has directed 24 theatre productions, including Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses, Eurydice, Learned Ladies, Cherry Orchard, Curious Incident, Master Harold...and the Boys, Pride and Prejudice, Big Love, and Rob Kauzlaric's As You Like It. A special place in her heart goes to re-imagined classics that increasingly partner with students as concept collaborators, such as a hip-hop Antigone, Romeo & Juliet, Midsummer, and Laramie Project.

Janet has trained in Viewpoints and Suzuki practices with SITI Company of NYC continuously for the past 19 years, as well as Pacific Performance Project/east, and Peter Kyle Dance of NYC. Janet holds an MFA from The University of Texas at Austin, has received 5 Wilde Awards/8 nominations, is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association, and would like to thank former MSF Artistic Director JNA for hiring her for her first MSF summer in 2003, where she got to improvise the entire intermission of Taming of the Shrew, as Curtis the Sweet Servant, sweeping the outdoor stage floor, chasing imaginary spiders, swatting at real hornets, and dancing with luminous butterflies under the night sky.

Thank you for coming to the shows this summer, dear audience friends - you make theatre possible.

Without you, these words and actions would only be...rehearsal!

IG: @janetehaley