About Michael

Michael Fling is a freelance director and hails originally from Oklahoma (where the wind does indeed come sweeping down the plain). 

Recent Directing credits include: THE GREAT EMU WAR, & SHAKIN’ THE BLUES AWAY (Goodspeed); SHREK THE MUSICAL & MARY POPPINS (Craft Productions of Oklahoma); MY FAIR LADY, LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL, SPRING AWAKENING, & ASSASSINS (Hartt); WEST SIDE STORY (Abilene Opera); HONK! (Webster). As an Associate: FUN HOME & NEXT TO NORMAL (Theaterworks Hartford); OSLO, EVITA, FOLLIES & A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis); RAGS & THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (Goodspeed Musicals); GUYS & DOLLS, 1776, PAINT YOUR WAGON, GYPSY, JERSEY BOYS, THE WIZ, THE MUSIC MAN, OKLAHOMA!, INTO THE WOODS, HOLIDAY INN, MY FAIR LADY, HELLO, DOLLY!, SEUSSICAL, & BILLY ELLIOT (The Muny); ANTONY & CLEOPATRA (Shakespeare Festival St. Louis); INTO THE WOODS, LEGALLY BLONDE: THE MUSICAL (Webster). Developmental credits include PAINT YOUR WAGON & THE WIZ (The Muny), RAGS (Goodspeed Musicals); PETE THE CAT (TheatreWorks USA); HOLIDAY INN (Roundabout).

Michael has worked extensively as an Associate and Assistant Director collaborating with Marc Bruni (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Gary Griffin (Honeymoon in Vegas, The Color Purple), Denis Jones (Tootsie, Holiday Inn), Josh Rhodes (Bright Star, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella), Gordon Greenberg (Holiday Inn), Dan Knetchges (Lysistrata Jones), Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Ragtime), Mike Donahue (The Legend of Georgia McBride) and Rob Ruggiero (High, Looped) on a variety of projects across the nation.  

​In addition to his directing work, Michael is the Associate Artistic Director at Goodspeed Musicals, where he oversees Goodspeed’s extensive New Works initiatives including the Festival of New Musicals, Johnny Mercer Foundation Writers Grove, and the GoodWorks Commissioning Program. Some of the projects Goodspeed has developed during Michael’s tenure include THE SNOW GOOSE, LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT, PRIVATE JONES, SUMMER STOCK, LITTLE MISS PERFECT, and ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.

Michael also hosts the popular podcast KNOW THE SHOW alongside Anika Chapin, a musical theatre podcast where they deep dive into classic musicals - one at a time. He is an adjunct faculty member of The Hartt School at The University of Hartford.

Michael holds a degree in Directing from The Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University.