Deric McNish
mcnishde@msu.edu
(517) 884-7788
Room 113
FacultyTheatre
Associate Professor
Director of Undergraduate Research – College of Arts and Letters; Program Director: MFA in Acting
Biography
Dr. Deric McNish is a Senior Editor of the International Dialects of English Archive, a member of the Editorial Board for the Voice and Speech Review, a Certified Teacher of Knight-Thompson Speechwork, and a Specialist for the U.S. Department of State. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association. He earned his PhD from the University of Colorado Boulder and his MFA in Acting from Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Play House.
Deric’s work focuses on the scholarship of interdisciplinary teaching and learning, including performance-based approaches to English language teaching and learning. Recent publications include his co-authored book, Teaching With Drama (University of Michigan Press, 2023), “Drama Techniques for Teaching Oral Academic Communication” in Pedagogical Innovations in Oral Academic Communication (University of Michigan Press), “Training Actors with Disabilities” in New Directions in Teaching Theatre Arts (Palgrave Macmillan), “Stanislavski in the Voice Studio” in Objectives, Obstacles, and Tactics in Practice (Routledge), and “Performance of Fluency” in the Voice and Speech Review.
Deric has narrated several audiobooks and performed in national tours and at theatres including the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, the Porthouse Theatre, the Cleveland Play House, and the Metropolitan Opera. On camera work includes Guiding Light (CBS), Third Watch (NBC), and several films. Deric has worked as a dialect coach and has directed dozens of productions at Michigan State and The Summer Circle Theatre, including multiple devised and world premieres. Deric received the 2019 All-University Teacher-Scholar Award, the 2018 AT&T Award for Innovation in Instructional Technology, the 2017 Innovation and Leadership Award for Faculty, the 2017 Fintz Award for Teaching Excellence in the Arts and Humanities, and the 2016 Dudley Knight Award for Outstanding Vocal Scholarship. He received fellowships for the 2019-20 Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology, the 2019-20 CAL Leadership Fellowship, and the 2018-19 Adams Academy for Instructional Excellence and Innovation.
Media Mentions
Dance groups leap into environmental communication
Great Lakes Echo
January 20, 2024
MSU theater students in East Lansing, Michigan, and a North Macedonian ballet company, Bullfrogs Ballet, are collaborating on the Ripple Effect, a project funded by a grant from the U.S. Embassy.
Deric McNish selected by U.S. Department of State for prestigious project
MSU Today
August 9, 2022
The U.S. Department of State has selected Deric McNish, associate professor in Michigan State University’s Department of Theatre, for a four-month English Language Specialist project with Russian teachers of English.
Student view
MSU Today
August 31, 2022
I would not have discovered my love for voice and screen acting if it wasn’t for the opportunities that presented themselves at MSU and the encouragement from my professors, specifically Deric McNish. He is an extremely talented professor and voice coach.
MSU presents a dynamic and honestly funny version of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
Lansing City Pulse
November 14, 2023
The entire production moves with excellent drive and energy, the plot remains very clear, and the cast gets all the laughs that are supposed to be there… The staging is dynamic and robust.
‘Into the Woods’ serves up spectacle, charm, pizzazz
Lansing City Pulse
February 20, 2020
Director Deric McNish has pulled it all together in this production…
Department of Theatre Creates Accessible Audio Resource for Shakespeare Fans
CAL
October 24, 2019
The Syllable of Recorded Time podcast was created by McNish and his team of students where they work to demystify Shakespeare and his plays in context for today’s audiences.
MSU Theatre Students Develop Anthology of Audio Plays to Evoke Conversations Around Social Justice Issues
Council on Undergraduate Research
October 31, 2021
McNish hopes that those lessons will now extend from the students to the audience. “If one person listens to these plays and becomes a little more empathetic, a little kinder…. this will be time well spent."
Awards and Honors
Teacher-Scholar Award
Michigan State University
2019
ATT Award in Instructional Technology – first place technology enhanced course
Michigan State University
2018
Dudley Knight Award for Outstanding Vocal Scholarship
Voice and Speech Review editorial board
2017
For “Performing Fluency” article
Fintz Award for Teaching Excellence in the Arts and Humanities
Integrated Arts and Humanities
2017
For course: Disability in Performance
Innovation and Leadership Award for Faculty
MSU CAL Alumni Association
2017
TESOL Best of Affiliate Award
MITESOL Board
2017
Performing Fluency presentation, selected to represent Michigan in national conference
Pulsar Award – Best Director for Hair the Musical
Lansing City Pulse
2015
Thespie Award
Lansing State Journal
2014
For devised production of “Off With Her Head”
Courses
Disability on Stage, Screen, and New Media
Study of the representations of people with disabilities in theatre, film, and television. MSU Integrative Studies in Arts and Humanities.
Action Through Art: Devising Creative Performance
Practical exploration of a collaborative process for creating original performances to impact social issues.
Acting with Accents
MFA and BFA sections. Strategies for accent research, acquisition, and performance.
Voice for the Actor
MFA and BFA sections. Practical exploration of various techniques, focusing on the physical actions and anatomy of healthy vocal production, expansion of range, expressivity, and application to text.
Classical Styles
Graduate sections. Performing classical styles including Shakespeare, Restoration, French Renaissance, and Spanish Golden Age.
Voiceovers
Graduate and undergraduate sections. Voiceover performance for commercials, industrials, audiobooks, animation and gaming.
ESL: American Performing Arts
Using theatre, acting, and voice teaching approaches with English language learners and educators.
Introduction to Acting
Introductory and practical exploration of skills used by actors on stage and screen.
Advanced Scene Study – Psychophysical Approaches
Based on Michael Chekhov’s psychophysical approach to acting.
Publications
Drama in the Language Classroom: What Every ESL Teacher Needs to Know. Co-authored with Carmela Romano Gillette. University of Michigan Press. Digital: Mar. 2019. Print: 2023
“Performing Fluency: Drama Techniques for Teaching Oral Academic Communication.” Pedagogical Innovations in Oral Academic Communication. Co-authored with Carmela Romano Gillette. Ed. Megan M. Siczek. University of Michigan Press. 2022.
“Stanislavski in the Voice Studio.” Objectives, Obstacles, and Tactics in Practice: Perspectives on Activating the Actor. Ed. Hillary Bucs and Valerie Pye. Routledge. Dec. 2019.
“Training Actors with Disabilities.” New Directions in Teaching Theatre Arts. Ed. Anne Fliotsos and Gail Medford. Palgrave Macmillan. Aug. 2018.
“Performance of Fluency.” Voice and Speech Review, an international peer-reviewed journal. 2-3. Apr. 12, 2017. Recipient of the 2016 VSR Dudley Knight Award for Outstanding Vocal Scholarship.
“Hysteria in the Crucible.” How to Teach a Play. Ed. Miriam Chirico and Kelly Younger. Bloomsbury Publishing. Jan. 2020.
Re-Access Podcast. U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Embassy to Russia. 2022-2023.
Syllable of Recorded Time. 2 seasons. MSU College of Arts and Letters. Fall 2019 (Season 1 – 8 episodes, host/writer/director), fall 2023 (Season 2 – 6 episodes, producer/guest).
“When the Hurly-Burly’s Done: Interpretations of Shakespeare’s Post-War Homecomings.” Homecoming Veterans in Literature and Culture: Comparative and Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Ed. Niels Boender. Routledge. (accepted/ongoing, est. fall 2024).
“A Moving Target: Success and the Reset Button.” Acting for the Stage. Ed. Anna Weinstein. Focal Press, Taylor and Francis, Feb. 24, 2017.
55 samples collected, analyzed, and published to the International Dialects of English Archive. https://www.dialectsarchive.com/
“Theatre and Film: 1900 – Present.” Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Volume 4: West, Central and South Asia. Sage Publications, 2012.
“Entertainment: Prehistory – 1200.” Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Volume 3: East and Southeast Asia. Sage Publications, 2012.
“Entertainment: 1200 – Present.” Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Volume 3: East and Southeast Asia. Sage Publications, 2012.
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