Communication, Media & Theatre Arts

Biography

Professor Bridges has been teaching theatre at Eastern Michigan University since 1992. In addition to teaching and advising undergraduate students at EMU, he's also directed over 20 plays there. Some of his varied directing credits at EMU include Crimes of the Heart, Tintypes, Ain't Misbehavin' and In the Blood. His professional directing credits include productions at the Lawton Community Theatre in Oklahoma, and the University of Michigan-Flint. He also directed the original Christian musical, Boulder Faith with the Tecumseh Players, Tecumseh, MI. Bridges co-wrote and co-directed an original play with music, Soaring on Black Wings, with EMU students, faculty and staff in collaboration with Tony and Emmy award-winner and television and film actor, Ben Vereen. Bridges has also acted professionally onstage at The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, Michigan and at the Black Rep in St. Louis, Missouri. He created the role of Lenny in the Purple Rose Theatre Company world premiere of Mitch Albom's play, Duck Hunter Shoots Angel. Bridges has appeared in several feature films including Trust and Flipped. He stars in the independent film, Shooters: Get the Picture, and appeared in the HBO television series, Hung. From 2004 to 2011 Bridges founded and directed the Idlewild Theatre Company, which had a mission to produce Afrocentric theatre in historic Idlewild, Michigan each summer. Bridges is the proud recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship to teach and direct African American theatre at the University of Ghana-Accra in 2016.

Education

• MFA, Theatre (Directing), Western Illinois University, 1992
• BA, Speech/Drama, Cameron University, 1983
• Teacher Certification, Cameron University, 1985–1990

Courses

• CTAR 100 Theatre Appreciation
• CTAR 100 Theatre Appreciation (online)
• CTAR 151 African American Theatre
• CTAR 151 African American Theatre (online)
• CTAR 158 Fundamentals of Acting
• CTAR 155 Producing Theatre
• CTAR 355 Play Direction

Advising

• Theatre Arts, BA, major and minor

Professional Affiliations

• Actors' Equity Association
• Black Theatre Network
• Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists