Member, NAST Board of Directors
Elected March 2024, term ends March 2027
Michael J. Riha has taught at the University of Arkansas since 1992 and served as the Head of Design for twenty-one years. In 2013, he became the 4th Chair of the Department of Theatre.
Professor Riha’s Broadway and New York credits include Assistant Designer to Christine Jones on the Broadway musical, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, and the Metropolitan Opera’s 2013 production of Rigoletto. He has worked as Associate Designer to John Iacovelli on productions for the South Coast Rep, The Mark Taper Forum, Syracuse Stage, and Princess Cruise Lines. He has also worked at the Muny in St. Louis, Missouri, TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the national tour of Fiddler on the Roof. He has designed scenery and lighting regionally for over one hundred productions in California, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Indiana, New York, and Arkansas. He is a member of USA-829.
Professor Riha is the author of Starting Your Career as a Theatrical Designer: Insights and Advice from Leading Broadway Designers published by Allworth Press.
Professor Riha serves NAST as a visiting evaluator.
Professor Riha holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.
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Posted April 2024