Michael M. O'Hara

Michael Mullen O'Hara (born October 10, 1959) is an American educator, author, and historian of theatre.

Personal life and education

O'Hara was born in Princeton, New Jersey to Francis James and Patricia (Smith) O'Hara. He attended Hopewell Valley Central High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English/Drama from Fordham University.

He received his Master of Arts in theatre history in 1990 at the University of Maryland, College Park. In 1997, he received his PhD in theatre history, theory and criticism from the same university.

He is married to Laura (Shue) O'Hara.

Professional career and publications

From 1985-86, O'Hara taught at the Canterbury School in Fort Myers, Florida. He then taught theatre and drama for a year at The Nottingham Academy in Colora, Maryland.

Since 1997, O'Hara has been a professor of theater at Ball State University, where he now sits as the Associate Dean of the Department of Fine Arts. He is the Sursa Distinguished Professor and has also received the Dena's Teaching Award.

He has published scholarly work on George Bernard Shaw, American Theatre, and theatre pedagogy. Pearson Education published his digital text book Explore Theatre in 2012. He is a national leader in theatre pedagogy, publishing 40 papers and lectures on the topic. His most recent publication, "Technology & Theatre Pedagogy: A Call To the Trenches," appears in Teaching Theatre Today, second edition, published by Palgrave Macmillan Press. He is president of the International Shaw Society.