Michael John Garcés

Michael John Garcés is a Los Angeles-based director and playwright.  Directing credits include For the People by Ty Defoe and Larissa FastHorse (The Guthrie Theater), the just and the blind by Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Daniel Bernard Roumain (Carnegie Hall and The Kennedy Center), The Play You Want by Bernardo Cubriá (The Road Theatre Company), The Rivers Don’t Know by James McManus (City Theatre), Seize the King by Will Power (The Alliance Theatre), Wrestling Jerusalem by Aaron Davidman (Intersection for the Arts, The Guthrie, Cleveland Public Theatre, Philadelphia Theatre Company and others), Epic by Ellen Struve (Great Plains Theatre Commons), The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse (Geffen Playhouse) and The Royale by Marco Ramirez (Arizona Theatre Company).  He has worked at many other theatres across the country.  Michael is the recipient of the Doris Duke Artist Award, the Alan Schneider Director Award, the Princess Grace Statue Award, and an L.A. Artist Residency (Center Theatre Group).  Michael was the artistic director of Cornerstone Theatre Company, a nationally recognized community-engaged ensemble, from 2006 to 2023.  At Cornerstone he directed plays by many writers including Alison Carey, Juliette Carrillo, Naomi Iizuka, Lisa Loomer, and Mark Valdez.  He was also a company member at Woolly Mammoth for several years, helming productions of plays by Luis Alfaro, Chad Beckim, Jackie Sibblies Drury, Max Frisch, Danai Gurira, and Craig Wright.  He is currently a professor of practice at the Los Angeles campus of Arizona State University.