Biography
Michael Ogborn was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and currently makes his home in New York City. A graduate of DeSales University,he made his Off-Broadway debut in 1993 with the critically acclaimed musical revue Box Office of the Damned, featuring then "new-comer" Kristen Chenoweth.
He has worked steadily in the professional theater for the past twenty five years creating original musicals, cabaret revues, song cycles and special material. His work has been produced at the Arden Theatre Company, People's Light & Theater Company, The Wilma Theater, in Philadelphia, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; City Theatre in Pittsburgh, PA; Horizon Theater, Atlanta, GA; Diversionary Theater in San Diego, CA; Theater LaB, Houston, TX and Radio City Music Hall and the Signature Theatre in New York City.
Some career highlights and awards include the World Premier productions of Baby Case, Café Puttanesca (featuring Megan Hilty) and Tulipomania at the Arden Theatre Company under the direction of Terry Nolen; creating special material for the legendary Radio City Rockettes, and receiving first prize for piano composition in the Mordechai Anielewicz Creative Arts Competition.
As a "Piano Man", he received Philadelphia Magazine's 1992 "Best of Philly" Award for Cabaret Performer, a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award in 1993 for the PBS music video "Soldiers in the Sky" and in 2003, the "Harrington Award" for outstanding creative achievement given by BMI Musical Theater Workshop.
In 2002, his musical fantasia Baby Case, received eleven Barrymore nominations and four Barrymore Awards including Outstanding Music and Best Musical of the Year. In 2012 Baby Case was produced at the NYMF and received four festival awards including Best Music & Lyrics and "Best of the Festival". The next productions are scheduled early nest season at the History Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the University of Hartford, Connecticut.
Since 2007, Mr. Ogborn has written the scores to the holiday pantos at Peoples Light & Theatre Co. in Malvern, Pennsylvania. In 2008, Cinderella: A Musical Panto received seven Barrymore nominations and four awards including Outstanding original Music and Best Musical of the Year. This production will be remounted and open at the PLTC in November 2013. That will be followed in 2014 by an all new panto suggested by the legend of King Arthur. His first panto, Treasure Island, was recently published with Playscripts Inc. and available for production world wide.
Currently, he is developing a new musical comedy with the 11th Hour Theatre Co. in Philadelphia titled Field Hockey Hot. It is scheduled for production in 2014-15. Other works in progress include The Three Maries and A Tour of the Ruins.
Mr. Ogborn is a proud member of Pi Kappa Phi, the Dramatists Guild Inc., The BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, and the owner of leydensdong Music Co.
Other produced titles include Fishwives ('81); Earbeds ('83); The Vagabond Age ('84); "Oh, Antigone!" ('86); Pinocchio: A Real Boy ('87); "C'est la Guerre!" ('89); Ozone-a-thon ('96) Regalia ('97); Jungle Book ('00); "Mary, Don't Ask!" ('03) and The USED faces of 2004. Treasure Island ('07); Cinderella ('08); Sophisticated Twinkies ('08); Snow White ('09); The Three Musketeers ('09); Tulipomania ('12) Aladdin ('12) and The Teacher From the Black Lagoon ('13).
