Actor To Lead Workshop In Berlin Later This Month

BERLIN – A veteran actor and playwright is making his return to the Lower Shore for an actor’s workshop scheduled later this month.

Actor Michael O’Leary, best known for his role of Dr. Rick Bauer on the long-running soap opera “Guiding Light,” is visiting Berlin April 29 for a four-hour workshop that will prepare local actors for the audition process.

“One of the things I’m doing is preparing actors for real life circumstances in the real world,” he said.

The workshop, O’Leary explained, will give participants the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of a casting office and common mistakes that actors makes even before they enter the room.

“It’s like preparing for a job,” he said. “There are certain things that can improve your chances.”

The goal of his workshop, he explained, is to give actors the know-how to have a successful livelihood.

“My whole purpose is to empower young people to take charge of their careers,” he said.

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Michael O’Leary

This will be the third time O’Leary has hosted a workshop on Delmarva, visiting Salisbury and Pocomoke City in August and November respectively.

These workshops follow his playwright debut, where he worked with the Lower Shore Performing Arts Company (LSPAC) to bring his screenplay “Breathing Under Dirt” to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) last August.

O’Leary said his experience in playwriting began years ago after attending a writer’s boot camp, which taught him the “nuts and bolts” of drafting a screenplay.

He explained that his first screenplay, “Red Rain,” sat on his computer for years before letting a friend read the play and present it to a theater in New York.

At their suggestion, O’Leary said he expanded the role of the mother by creating a monologue, ultimately leading him to produce “Breathing Under Dirt.”

“It’s interesting how that play got started as a result of something else I did,” he said. “It sort of inspired the other play.”

After a successful performance at UMES, O’Leary returned to the region in November, where he participated in a podcast with officials at Salt Water Media in Berlin.

Stephanie Fowler, owner of Salt Water Media, said she reached out to O’Leary last year through a friend, who was an actor in “Breathing Under Dirt”. When he returned to the area in November, O’Leary visited Salt Water Media to conduct a podcast and shortly thereafter reached out to Fowler about hosting another workshop at their location.

“We talked and he said he was coming back to area,” she said.

O’Leary said his pleasant experiences with LSPAC and the Town of Berlin’s charm inspired him to pursue another workshop in town.

“It was just something that was a good fit for me,” he said.

Salt Water Media will host the workshop at their Broad Street office on April 29 from 1-5 p.m. Fowler said space is limited to 20 people and encourages those that are interested to R.S.V.P. at lowershorepac.org.

Prices are $50 for LSPAC members and students and $70 for all others. Lunch will be provided.

“We are super happy to have him,” Fowler said.

When asked about the possibility for future workshops, O’Leary explained that he would be interested in returning for a series on playwriting and showing actors how to be producers.

“I hit it off with the people of the Lower Shore,” he said.

About The Author: Bethany Hooper

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Bethany Hooper has been with The Dispatch since 2016. She currently covers various general stories. Hooper graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2012 and the University of Maryland in 2016, where she completed double majors in journalism and economics.