Michael F Toomey

Michael F. Toomey is a neurodivergent performer, director, and educator whose work re-centers play, laughter, and human connection in a world that often takes itself too seriously. He is the Artistic Director of The Humanist Project in Brooklyn, NY, a company dedicated to devised, clown-influenced performance and socially engaged theatre. With The Humanist Project, Toomey has created award-winning productions such as A Crucible: A Puritanical Celebration of Witches and Turkeys (Best Clown and Audience Choice, NYC Fringe) and the Danvers Onions cycle, which blend clown, history, and satire to interrogate power and community.

A founding member of Split Knuckle Theatre, Toomey has toured internationally with devised physical theatre that pushes the boundaries of ensemble storytelling. He has also been a longtime collaborator with Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA, where he has performed, directed, and taught for more than two decades, helping shape both professional and educational programs. His training includes an MFA in Lecoq-based Theatre from LISPA (London International School of Performing Arts) and advanced clown studies with Philippe Gaulier and Giovanni Fusetti.
As a teacher, Toomey is widely recognized for his expertise in clown, buffoon, and movement. He teaches professional actors in New York City, leads corporate workshops in play and creativity, and has developed innovative programs for students from middle school to college, including court-mandated youth programs that used Shakespeare as rehabilitation. His pedagogy emphasizes accessibility for neurodivergent performers, creating inclusive spaces that value individuality, pleasure, and risk.
Toomey’s current artistic research explores play as a radical act of complicity and joy. His aim—through performance, pedagogy, and residencies—is to build communities where laughter becomes a tool for survival, resistance, and shared humanity.