Deric McNish
mcnishde@msu.edu
(517) 884-7788
Room 113
FacultyTheatre
Associate Professor
Director of the MFA in Acting
Biography
Dr. Deric McNish earned his his PhD from the University of Colorado Boulder and his MFA in Acting from Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Play House. Deric is a Senior Editor of the International Dialects of English Archive (IDEA), 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.
Deric’s work focuses on the scholarship of interdisciplinary teaching and learning. He develops performance-based approaches to English language learning. Recent publications include his co-authored book, Teaching With Drama (University of Michigan Press), “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 several 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
Awards and Honors
Teacher-Scholar Award
Michigan State University
2019
AT&T 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
Acting with Accents
MFA and BFA sections. Strategies for accent research, acquisition, and performance.
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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