Michael Barakiva is an Armenian/Israeli American theater director and writer who lives in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan with his husband, Rafael. He was born in Haifa, Israel and grew up in the suburbs of Central New Jersey, which were much scarier. He attended Vassar College, where he double majored in Drama and English, after which he attended the Juilliard School's Drama Division as an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Directing. He has been living in New York City since.Michael dabbled with writing in his twenties by translating/adapting classic plays he'd been hired to direct. Around the time he turned thirty, he lost two of his mentors (both writers) and found that writing was one of the few things that curbed the profound sorrow and grief that followed. His first play, STRING THEORY, published by ConnotationPress (http://www.connotationpress.com/drama/2122-michael-barakiva-sarah-braunstein-and-amy-holtcamp-drama), was co-written with Amy Boyce Holtcamp and Sarah Braunstein and performed at his alma mater, Vassar College. Around the same time, he began writing ONE MAN GUY at the encouragement of his inimitable editor, Joy Peskin. He's currently working on his second novel, a post-apocalyptic science fiction/fantasy adventure entitled THE AETHER WILD, with Rosemary Andress and Suzanne Agins. Other writing projects include THE NATURE OF EVERYTHING, a play inspired by the Ancient Roman scientists/philosopher Lucretius, commissioned by the Sloan Foundation, and his blog, Awful Goodness (www.michaelbarakiva.blogspot.com). Michael is also the Artistic Director of The Upstart Creatures, a theater ensemble he formed dedicated to throwing (meta)physical feasts. In May 2013, Michael and the Upstarts presented a day-long reading of their adaptation of John Milton's PARADISE LOST, complete with two gourmet, multi-course meals prepared and served by the company. They are currently in the process of adapting PARADISE LOST into a musical. www.upstartcreatures.comMichael has taught Advanced Directing at the National Theater Institute (NTI) at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, where he was married to Rafael Ascencio on May 26th, 2013. He is an avid board-game player, and an active member of the New York City Ramblers, the world's first openly-gay organized soccer club, where he was voted Most Improved Player in 2011. He loves to cook, practices Iyengar yoga because he believes in alignment, loves New York City but would consider living somewhere else equally fabulous, and believes that the need for story is an integral part of the human experience.