Micha Espinosa
Micha Espinosa is an internationally recognized multi-hyphenate artist, educator, director (theatre and film), producer, and editor whose work spans voice, acting, actor training, pedagogy, authorship, and performance practices. She advances culturally responsive methodologies and centers Chicana/o/x, Latinx, and historically excluded narratives in theatre and film, shaping inclusive approaches to voice, performance, and storytelling.
Professor Espinosa is the award-winning editor and co-editor of three influential monographs: Monologues for Latino Actors: A Resource Guide to Contemporary Latino/a Playwrights, Scenes for Latinx Actors: Voices of the New American Theatre (Smith and Krause, 2019), and Latinx Actor Training (Routledge, 2023)—each nationally recognized by the International Latino Book Awards. Latinx Actor Training received the gold medal and is widely celebrated as a pioneering collection adopted by institutions across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Both Monologues for Latino Actors and Scenes for Latinx Actors were awarded silver medals and continue to serve as essential resources that combat the myth of scarcity in Latinx theatre by providing culturally rich material for actors and educators. Professor Espinosa is currently under contract for Scenes for Latinx Actors, Volume II (2026), which will highlight emerging playwrights and reimagined Latiné classics. Among her many publications are works that examine bilingual actor training, voice and embodiment practices, and the intersections of Shakespearean performance, sound, and cultural adaptation.
As a performer, Professor Espinosa has worked across theatre, film, television, and commercial media for over three decades. Her performance career includes collaborations with award-winning directors and international artists, and she is known for her versatility, physicality, and deep connection to language and cultural voice. She has also created site-specific and ensemble-based work that amplifies the bicultural border experience, feminist, and global perspectives. A long-standing member of the Screen Actors Guild and a performer with La Pocha Nostra, she brings a performer’s sensibility to her teaching, directing, and scholarship.
Her directing portfolio spans classical, contemporary, and devised theatre, centering Latinx, borderland, and global narratives. Notable works include Eva Luna and Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, among other projects. She co-directed the documentary Lamentation at the Liesbeek, a site-based performance amplifying indigenous perspectives and the cultural and ecological significance of Cape Town’s Liesbeek River. Her producing work includes AcroFutures, a documentary exploring the creative agency of Kenyan acrobats within global economies. She has also contributed to the National Latino Playwriting Festival, supporting the development of new Latinx works.
Her coaching credits include over 100 productions at leading regional theatres, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arizona Theatre Company, Dallas Theatre Center, Alley Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and REDCAT/CalArts, among others. Professor Espinosa is the inaugural Artistic Director of the Fitzmaurice Institute, where she has been instrumental in shaping the organization’s vision, expanding its global programming, and leading initiatives that advance voice and somatic practices worldwide. As a Senior Lead Teacher, she has taught throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa, trained over 300 designated Fitzmaurice Voicework teachers, and led more than 100 masterclasses in voice and embodied practice.
During her years on the faculty at Arizona State University (ASU), Professor Espinosa was recognized for her scholarship, artistic excellence, and mentorship. Her honors include the CLFSA Sangre de Arte Award (2018), the Victoria Foundation Award for Outstanding Literary/Arts (2022), the ASU Catalyst Award (2024), and the Faculty Women's Association Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award (2024). She is Professor Emerita of Voice and Acting from the School of Music, Dance, and Theatre at ASU.
She has presented her research at national and international conferences, including the National Conference for Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE), the Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE), and will be a featured speaker at the 2025 Voice and Speech Trainers Association Conference. She has also contributed to national think tanks and is the co-champion for initiatives such as the Latinx Actor Training Laborotorio. n recognition of her contributions to the field, Professor Micha Espinosa was nominated and inducted into the United States National Theatre Conference, a national honor extended to leaders shaping the future of the American theatre. She serves on the board of Southwest Shakespeare Company, the editorial board of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, and the steering committee of the Latinx Theatre Commons. Professor Espinosa is Professor of Acting and Directing in the Department of Theatre and Drama at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Professor Emerita of Voice and Acting at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Stephens College and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of California, San Diego.
Professor Espinosa is the award-winning editor and co-editor of three influential monographs: Monologues for Latino Actors: A Resource Guide to Contemporary Latino/a Playwrights, Scenes for Latinx Actors: Voices of the New American Theatre (Smith and Krause, 2019), and Latinx Actor Training (Routledge, 2023)—each nationally recognized by the International Latino Book Awards. Latinx Actor Training received the gold medal and is widely celebrated as a pioneering collection adopted by institutions across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Both Monologues for Latino Actors and Scenes for Latinx Actors were awarded silver medals and continue to serve as essential resources that combat the myth of scarcity in Latinx theatre by providing culturally rich material for actors and educators. Professor Espinosa is currently under contract for Scenes for Latinx Actors, Volume II (2026), which will highlight emerging playwrights and reimagined Latiné classics. Among her many publications are works that examine bilingual actor training, voice and embodiment practices, and the intersections of Shakespearean performance, sound, and cultural adaptation.
As a performer, Professor Espinosa has worked across theatre, film, television, and commercial media for over three decades. Her performance career includes collaborations with award-winning directors and international artists, and she is known for her versatility, physicality, and deep connection to language and cultural voice. She has also created site-specific and ensemble-based work that amplifies the bicultural border experience, feminist, and global perspectives. A long-standing member of the Screen Actors Guild and a performer with La Pocha Nostra, she brings a performer’s sensibility to her teaching, directing, and scholarship.
Her directing portfolio spans classical, contemporary, and devised theatre, centering Latinx, borderland, and global narratives. Notable works include Eva Luna and Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, among other projects. She co-directed the documentary Lamentation at the Liesbeek, a site-based performance amplifying indigenous perspectives and the cultural and ecological significance of Cape Town’s Liesbeek River. Her producing work includes AcroFutures, a documentary exploring the creative agency of Kenyan acrobats within global economies. She has also contributed to the National Latino Playwriting Festival, supporting the development of new Latinx works.
Her coaching credits include over 100 productions at leading regional theatres, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arizona Theatre Company, Dallas Theatre Center, Alley Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and REDCAT/CalArts, among others. Professor Espinosa is the inaugural Artistic Director of the Fitzmaurice Institute, where she has been instrumental in shaping the organization’s vision, expanding its global programming, and leading initiatives that advance voice and somatic practices worldwide. As a Senior Lead Teacher, she has taught throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa, trained over 300 designated Fitzmaurice Voicework teachers, and led more than 100 masterclasses in voice and embodied practice.
During her years on the faculty at Arizona State University (ASU), Professor Espinosa was recognized for her scholarship, artistic excellence, and mentorship. Her honors include the CLFSA Sangre de Arte Award (2018), the Victoria Foundation Award for Outstanding Literary/Arts (2022), the ASU Catalyst Award (2024), and the Faculty Women's Association Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award (2024). She is Professor Emerita of Voice and Acting from the School of Music, Dance, and Theatre at ASU.
She has presented her research at national and international conferences, including the National Conference for Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE), the Association of Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE), and will be a featured speaker at the 2025 Voice and Speech Trainers Association Conference. She has also contributed to national think tanks and is the co-champion for initiatives such as the Latinx Actor Training Laborotorio. n recognition of her contributions to the field, Professor Micha Espinosa was nominated and inducted into the United States National Theatre Conference, a national honor extended to leaders shaping the future of the American theatre. She serves on the board of Southwest Shakespeare Company, the editorial board of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, and the steering committee of the Latinx Theatre Commons. Professor Espinosa is Professor of Acting and Directing in the Department of Theatre and Drama at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Professor Emerita of Voice and Acting at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Stephens College and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of California, San Diego.
