Michael Charrois

Michael Charrois was born in Edmonton Alberta Canada May 24th 1962 After studying Acting and Playwrighting at the University of Alberta and the Banff School of Fine Arts he was hired into the Resident Acting Company of Edmontons Family Theatre Stage Polaris in 1986 In 1986 he also began teaching Performing Arts classes at the Stage Polaris Academy of Drama In 1988 Michael became a member of Canadian Actors Equity Association At this time Michael was also street performing with fire juggling and clowning as well as gigging around town with his friends in a rock band called Big Inc In the late 80s and throughout the 90s Michael wrote lyrics for songs and musical plays for the stage for Big Inc and his second band Baffin Island Party which culminated in Y2Ks The Illumination of Marshall McLuhan Michael played Wiggens in Clint Eastwoods 1992 Academy Awardwinning film Unforgiven This was also the year he became a member of ACTRA the Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television and Radio Artists While based in Edmonton in the 90s festival performances took him throughout Western Canada to Ottawa and into the US at the Orlando and New York Fringe Festivals In 1996 Michael was asked to serve his Union first as a Councillor then President and Alternate National Councillor for the nowdefunct Edmonton ACTRA Branch In the year 2000 Michael was asked to represent the Alberta New Democratic Party in the Castledowns riding for the Alberta provincial election He finished in third place behind the Liberal and Conservative Like a character in a Chekhov play Michael fulfilled the dream of every Edmontonian by escaping winter with a move to Vancouver September 2001 In 2002 he was cast in the first of over a dozen plays that he performed in at New Westminsters Burr Theatre Throughout the early double aughts Michael performed in plays and on screen busked on Granville Island with his street show Economics 101 and ran around to various schools performing Mad Science experiments Michael was asked to represent the New Democrats in his home riding of North Vancouver for the 2008 and 2012 federal elections As of 2016 Michael is the Performing Arts Education Coordinator at the Evergeen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam BC where he teaches public speaking and theatre arts He also teaches for Burnabys Shadbolt Arts Centre