LYRIC THEATRE STAFF

MICHAEL BARON (PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) – At Lyric, he directed Cinderella (Co-Direction with Brian Cheslik, Artistic Director of Deaf Austin Theatre), The King of Pangaea, Concerto (World Premiere), The Prom, Big River, Carousel, Head Over Heels, Master Class, Grease, Lyric Kids’ Clubhouse, Frost/Nixon, Titanic, Singin’ in the Rain, Bright Star, When We’re Gone (world premiere), Disney’s Freaky Friday, Fun Home, Disney’s When You Wish, James & the Giant Peach, I Am My Own Wife, Assassins, Fiddler on the Roof, Dreamgirls, Mann...And Wife (world premiere), Bernice Bobs Her Hair (world premiere), Big Fish with David Elder and Tony-nominee Emily Skinner, Oklahoma!, An Inspector Calls, A Little Night Music with Tony-nominee Dee Hoty, Les Misérables, Triangle, Big River, Tarzan, The Glass Menagerie, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Call Me Madam with Tony-winner Beth Leavel, Spring Awakening, Ragtime, Oliver!, Boeing Boeing, Always...Patsy Cline, December Divas, The Rocky Horror Show and the annual production of Lyric’s A Christmas Carol (also adapted).
He has directed over 100 productions at theaters across the country, including co-directing with Sandra Mae Frank an ASL/Spoken English production of The Music Man at The Olney Theatre in Washington, D.C., co-directing with Brian Cheslik an ASL/Spoken English production of Cinderella at ZACH Theatre/Deaf Austin Theatre, and the current production of A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Other regional directing highlights include ZACH Theatre: Peter and the Starcatcher, Spring Awakening; Signature Theatre: The Little Dog Laughed, Songs for a New World starring Tony-winner Alice Ripley, Tony-nominee Brian D’Arcy James, Emmy-nominee Titus Burgess, and music direction by Jason Robert Brown; Adventure Theatre: James and the Giant Peach, the world premiere musical Big Nate; Goodspeed Musicals: Meet John Doe, Trinity Repertory Company: The School for Scandal. La Mama: The Whore of Sheridan Square (wrote and directed, published in anthology Plays and Playwrights 2006). NEA and Poetry Foundation 2010-2023: Poetry Out Loud National Competition Finals with hosts Joy Sunday, John Leguizamo, Kerry Washington and Anna Deavere Smith. Teaching: American University, Brown University, Holy Cross College, Oklahoma City University, and Rhode Island College. Michael has been a theatre grant panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. Training: B.A. in Theatre Arts, Wake Forest University; M.F.A. in Directing, Trinity Repertory Conservatory. Michael served as the Associate Director of Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia-winner of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Michael received the 2012 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Direction of a Resident Musical in Washington, D.C. for Adventure Theatre’s production of A Year with Frog and Toad, the 2016 Oklahoma Governor’s Arts Award, a 2016 special award from Oklahoma City Mayor’s Committee on Disabilities Concerns, the 2021 Yad B’Yad, Hand in Hand Award from the Jewish Federation of OKC and the 2022 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical for Olney Theatre’s production of The Music Man. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City and an emeritus board member for the National Alliance for Musical Theatre.

JIM REYNOLDS (Managing Director) is now in his sixth year at Lyric Theatre. As a life-long professional in theatre management, he has an extensive background in marketing, public relations, sales, project management, strategic planning, fundraising, and patron loyalty strategies. Prior to Oklahoma City, he was the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at ZACH Theatre – the leading regional theatre in Austin, TX. During his 25-year tenure he was an integral part of growing ZACH’s annual budget from $550,000 to $8,000,000 and opening two state-of-the-art theatre facilities. Prior to that, he was the Sales Director at Dallas Theater Center, helmed by Adrian Hall and Peter Donnelly – both acclaimed leaders in the first and second generation of the American regional theater movement. Fresh from the University of South Carolina, he served as Patron Manager and Production Business Manager at the Alliance Theatre/Atlanta Children’s Theatre, the Southeast’s leading regional theatre and Tony Award-Winner. Jim has served as a civic volunteer with several non-profit organizations and was, most recently, the Board President of the Plaza District Business Association.

ASHLEY WELLS (Executive Producer) – celebrates 22 years with Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma and recently was honored as recipient of the Arts in Education Governor’s Arts Award. She is on the board of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre and Chairs the Membership Commitee. AT LYRIC: The Play That Goes Wrong, Kinky Boots (Director), Matilda (Director), Nunsense, Disney’s Newsies (Director), Hello, Dolly! (Director), Junie B. Jones (Director), Rock of Ages (Director), The Wizard of Oz (Director), The Fantasticks (Director/Choreographer), Bernice Bobs Her Hair (Choreographer), Billy Elliot (Director), Pageant (Director), Monty Python’s Spamalot (Director), Les Misérables (Choreographer), Triangle: A New Musical (Associate Director), The Odd Couple (Director), Big River (Choreographer), Tarzan (Choreographer), Some Enchanted Evening (Director), Sweet Charity (Director) with Tony Award-winner Billy Porter, Spring Awakening (Choreographer), Lyric’s A Christmas Carol (Choreographer), Oliver! (Choreographer), The Rocky Horror Show (Choreographer), Urinetown: The Musical (Co-choreographer), Jesus Christ Superstar (Choreographer), Oklahoma! (Co-Choreographer), Hello, Dolly! (Co-choreographer), Cabaret (Choreographer/Ensemble), Chicago (Choreographer/Merry Murderess). REGIONAL THEATRE: The Play That Goes Wrong, Oklahoma City University (Director); Phantom of the Opera, North Shore Music Theatre (Ensemble); Evita (Ensemble), Brigadoon (Jean), The Music Man, Music Theatre of Wichita (Zaneeta Shin); La Cage Aux Folles, Casa Mañana (Anne). BROADWAY AND NATIONAL TOUR: Hello, Dolly! with Carol Channing (Ermengarde).