Mike Wiley’s works span the stories of fugitive slaves, sports figures and freedom fighters, the triumph of the common man and more. His works are primarily one-man shows, where Wiley sometimes portrays dozens of characters — old and young, men and women, African American and white — over the course of a single play. Audiences leave his performances reflective, enlightened and inspired to apply history’s lessons to events and situations of the present. According to Wiley:
"I do these plays because I believe stereotypes and racism and things of that nature arise from fear — because we are scared of the unknown.
When we were children, we were scared of the dark…because we didn’t know what was in the dark. We thought that box in the corner was a monster because we didn’t have the lights on to tell us that it was just a box. But when the lights came on and we saw it was just a box, the fear disappeared.
The same logic can be applied to our perceptions of other cultures or religions or races. We turn the light on. We figure out who they are. We learn about them. Then we’re not afraid of them anymore."
Wiley performs his plays in schools (material is appropriate for students in 4th grade and beyond) and communities across the country. Explore the links to the right for a synopsis of each play in the Mike Wiley Productions repertoire and accompanying discussion guides. To book a performance, click here.