Culture & Entertainment Notebook: Southeast professor's love for career takes center stage

Southeast Missouri State University assistant professor of musical theatre, directing and acting Michael McIntosh just returned from New York along with more than 30 Southeast students and faculty from their once-in-a-lifetime Broadway production of "An American Hero," a milestone three years in the making.

"It was great. It was fantastic," he said. "It's a well-respected festival, and the shows there go on to Broadway runs or off-Broadway runs or professional runs. It's a really big deal for the conservatory."

McIntosh said Southeast's rendition of "An American Hero" has received "good reviews" and is now in the running for "the best of the festival right now."

He said the students are doing what they've been trained for, which McIntosh said is fantastic to witness.

"I think we're doing something right, and they're doing something right," he said.

McIntosh is not new to the limelight. He previously lived in New York for 17 years and has accrued many career highlights.

He first started out as an actor, then received an assistant directing job.

"I love directing. It's much more fun. You get to do cool stuff," McIntosh said.

On and off, McIntosh said he performed with the European tour of "Grease" for about seven years. It was a good time, he said, because of the opportunity to visit Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Lebanon.

He performed in Beirut, Lebanon, during the Byblos International Festival, which he said was "amazing."

Byblos is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world, he said, featuring a huge outdoor 6,000-seat festival, similar to that of The Muny in St. Louis.

During his stay in New York, McIntosh performed several off-Broadway shows, including a musical, "They All Knew."

"I also did a musical about Joe DiMaggio," he said. "Those were actually right by where we did 'American Hero,' right next door."

McIntosh grew up in Ohio and his first production was a Sesame Street play, he said.

"I was Oscar the Grouch. And I loved it," McIntosh said.

At that point, McIntosh realized he had been "bit by the acting bug" and that's when he began auditioning for community theatre.

"I just started doing shows. I got my union card from doing '42nd Street' at Carousel Dinner Theatre, which is the nation's largest dinner theatre," he said.

When McIntosh later moved to New York to begin his career, it also included some voice-over and jingle work, he said.

"I sang some jingles for American Greetings and Kirby vacuum cleaners a long time ago. I actually did a whole industrial show for Kirby," he said.

But he does not consider those to be career highlights.

"You know what the top thing for me was? Teaching," McIntosh said. "I love the students, I love watching people grow, I love giving people their starts in their careers, which is why I loved this New York show so much."

McIntosh taught in graduate school, said he loved it, but was still a bit torn between teaching and acting.

When McIntosh was in New York, he was offered a one-year job at his alma mater to teach, so he moved from New York back to Ohio.

While in Ohio in 2014, he was still applying for jobs, and was offered one at Southeast Missouri State University -- his current position -- and at one other place.

"Here was also only a one-year job, but you could apply to stay," McIntosh said. "So I got offered a one-year job here, and a full-time forever job someplace else. But I came here because I loved it so much."

After looking at the Southeast curriculum and the students, he "was just in love with it" and easily made the decision to accept.

For his immediate future, McIntosh said he is working on "Jesus Christ Superstar," with rehearsals beginning in 10 days, followed by "Spring Awakening."

McIntosh is excited about both upcoming productions because "Jesus Christ Superstar," he said, "is a giant rock concert."

He describes "Spring Awakening" as an old, German play from the 1800s about youngsters going through puberty and growing up emotionally and physically.

"It got banned in Germany because it was so dirty, then they made it into a musical, and now we're doing it," McIntosh said.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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