Tout Le Monde is a stage

JMU's Semester in Paris program led Mikael Man-oukian ('93) on a circuitous journey to the stage.

In 1989, he participated in a JMU-sponsored trip to Paris, while he was officially enrolled at Virginia Tech. He enjoyed the program so much that he transferred to JMU the following year. Manoukian has also faithfully pursued a lifelong enthusiasm for French culture.

After graduation, the business major returned to Northern Virginia and tried his hand at several career fields including education, film production and Internet marketing. His love of all things French led him to join LE NEON Theatre, a French-American theater troupe. While his motive for joining the troupe might have been to practice his French, the ultimate outcome was a rewarding career as a stage performer.

Manoukian managed the LE NEON Theatre for two years and his interest in theatrical performance blossomed. Later, he studied theater at the American Conservatory Theatre, George Mason University and in Corsica, France, via the George Washington University Theatre Abroad program.

Manoukian joined the Blue Shift Theatre Ensemble in Asheville, N.C., for the 2000-2001 season, which included performances of the live, physical comedy SPORT. "It's kind of like the Three Stooges doing a Nike commercial," says Manoukian. "The show was originally created and produced in the mid-80s by El Tricicle, a trio of Spanish clowns; and the Blue Shift Theatre Ensemble worked with the group to revive and adapt SPORT for an American market."

The Blue Shift Theatre Ensemble performed SPORT at schools, colleges and professional theaters throughout the southeastern states and closed their season in the spotlight with a two-week performance at the renowned, 23rd Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C.

Manoukian returned to the Washington, D.C., region in June 2001 to teach circus arts skills, while training with acclaimed solo performer, Avner the Eccentric. Manoukian also created his own show, an original two-person educational play, which premiered this fall. Animated Tales from Around the World is geared toward third- to sixth-graders and will tour D.C.-area schools during the 2001-2002 academic year.