2022 Senior Series: Michael O’Malley

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"I got in [to the Doo Wop Shop] and it instantly became like a home for me. It was just filled with, like, friendly, welcoming, and genuine guys, several of whom are my closest friends still today. It was kind of like this substitute for theater. We're performing, like, regularly in front of audiences, and we do it in a way that is almost theatrical. It also helped me build a strong foundation for singing that I didn't even realize I was building until probably junior year, which is when I actually, like, decided, ‘OK, I want to do musical theater.’

Since the start of the pandemic and 'the Zoom year,' I've also been able to work with Milan Dragicevich, who is a theater professor in the department. He's one of those gems who can teach you a lifetime’s worth of training and wisdom in a short time period. You can just tell that he's one of those people who's really and truly committed to trying to instill this knowledge and passion in you. He also is just so knowledgeable about theater and acting just on his own. I'm very grateful to have had two-and-a-half years working with him. I want to thank him for sure, and I also want to thank Marjorie Melnick, who, when I randomly decided to take a musical theater intro class junior year, encouraged me, saying, ‘You should continue with this.’ And that kind of made me realize, like, 'Oh, this is what I want to do.'

Currently, I'm training with a professional voice teacher for musical theater. I was fortunate enough to place as a finalist for the NATs regional round, which is the National Association of Teachers of Singing, where the teachers submit their students into a regional competition. And I was able to move on to the national round, so I'm waiting to hear back!" 

Michael ("Mike") O’Malley '22 is a talented singer, actor, theater major, and the music director for the Doo Wop Shop, the oldest all-male-identifying a cappella group on campus. A Star Wars and Phantom of the Opera fan, O'Malley has been involved in the UMass Amherst Department of Theater's Rights of Spring festival, as well as many Doo Wop Shop and theater performances throughout his time at the university.