Michael B. Hoagland '07

A former used-car salesman in San Diego and employee at Banana Republic, Michael B. Hoagland ’07 is smooth and well dressed, and his illustrious acting career at Harvard bodes well for future success in theatre.

Ten years ago, few would have guessed that the star of a middle school production of the parody “Herlock Shomes” would go on to have an impressive college acting career. But Hoagland is a winner of this year’s prestigious Jonathan Levy Award, which is given by the Office for the Arts at Harvard to “the most promising undergraduate actor at Harvard College.” He is co-recipient of the award, alongside Josh M. Brener ’07.

Hoagland began acting at age 12, but it was in high school that he first realized that he wanted to be an actor.

“I liked acting from the start. I really threw myself into it in high school when I started doing two to three plays a year,” says Hoagland.

Hoagland has acted in 19 Harvard theatre productions. He has performed in everything from “The Taming of the Shrew” to last year’s experimental production “LuLu,” from the Hasty Pudding Theatricals to Visual and Environmental Studies film projects.

“I’ve had a lot of positive experiences at Harvard—it’s hard to pick the most memorable. I loved the Pudding,” says Hoagland.

He especially praises professional director Marcus Stern, who works both for the American Repertory Theatre and, on occasion, with undergrads. “I had a really good time working with Marcus Stern in the fall in ‘The Marriage of Bette and Boo.’ He has been a teacher, mentor, and friend since freshman year,” Hoagland says.

Hoagland is not only varied in his choice of roles on stage, but also roles behind the scenes. He has also directed two of the last seven 24-hour play festivals on campus. Currently the co-director of the Sunken Garden Children’s Theatre, he is directing a production of “Hansel and Gretel” with the company this weekend.

Harvard is not the only place that Hoagland has been able to perform. He remembers with fondness a slightly embarrassing role he played as a fairy in a Huntington Theatre Company production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“It was a thrill because I was in a professional show with Tony [Award] winners, but I was standing on stage in my underwear with ten other fairies singing fairy songs,” recalls Hoagland.

After college, Hoagland plans to move to Hollywood and try his luck on the silver screen.

“I am excited to move to L.A. to begin my career,” he says. “But I am also nervous about my potential to get discouraged. It will take time to build a career. Acting is not like becoming a doctor, which always includes the same things: medical school, the MCAT, internship, residency. There is no formula for becoming an actor, so there are many different kinds of success.”

“I am an intelligent and trained enough actor that I think I know what I’m doing,” he adds. “But I am not so trained and set in my ideas about acting that I wouldn’t be open to new forms, new experiences, or different styles.”

Still, Hoagland realizes that he will need to support himself as he launches his professional acting career. When asked how he will earn money on the side, Hoagland responded, “I think it would be fun to coach sports at a high school.”

Hoagland is honored to receive recognition for his talent, but remains humble.

“I was very happy to win the Jonathan Levy Award. The only thing that made me happier than winning the award was winning it with my best friend Josh Brener,” he says. “Winning it with him is definitely better than winning it by myself.”