Michael Strassen (DIRECTOR) trained at the Guildford School of Acting. On graduating he went into the original cast of Miss Saigon at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. He went on to work at The Bristol Old Vic, Newcastle Opera House, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Leicester Haymarket. Productions include Sweeney Todd, Piaf, Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon/Judas), The Golden Ass, Poppy, Lonely Hearts, Sleeping Beauty (Henry) You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Linus), Yakety-Yak! (Javett), The Pirates of Penzance (Frederic), Pacific Overtures, Rock Hard (Rock) and Hot Stuff (Joe Soap). Hot Stuff went on to be a number one UK tour.

Other West End credits include Les Miserables (Marius), Jesus Christ Superstar at the Lyceum, with director Gale Edwards (Simon Zeolotes), and Oscar at the Shaw Theatre (Robert Ross). He played Bernard in Jean de Florette at the Young Vic and recorded a new version of Dickens' Hard Times for Imagination/BBC as Tom. He appeared in concert with Ruthie Henshall and Bernadette Peters at the Royal Festival Hall. Michael also appears in Hey, Mr Producer!, (DVD/Video) celebrating Cameron Mackintosh’s contribution to world theatre.

Working with Stephen Sondheim was a personal high point for Michael. He had the honour of doing this at Oxford University during Sondheim’s professorship there. Michael played several leading roles, including the role of Yussupov, to much acclaim from the highly accomplished audience, which included Sondheim, Lionel Bart, Cameron Mackintosh and many other of the world's leading director/producers.

Michael was asked to sing Marius in Les Miserables for the VE Day celebrations at Hyde Park attended by the Royal Family and an audience of 250,000. The concert was broadcast worldwide by BBC Television. Christmas 2005 he was invited to sing at Windsor Castle for President Chirac’s state visit in a special presentation of Les Miserables.

‘Loving You’, Michael’s first solo CD, is distributed through HMV and itunes. His one-man show built around the CD sold out at the Café Royal. (He also performed it for a special booking for Her Majesty the Queen’s Golden Jubilee). As well as recording 2 solo albums Michael duets with Ruthie Henshall on her Gershwin CD "Love is Here to Stay" and executive-produced her solo CD, 'Pilgrim' and a CD of humorous poetry with Lord Denham and Joanna Lumley (A Thing of Shreds and Patches).He has worked on the Robert de Niro movie The Bridge of San Luis Rey as co-musical supervisor. and sang on the soundtrack of the Gold Circle-produced major motion picture, Something Borrowed, starring Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney. Michael worked with director Jonathan Kent and legendary composer Michel Legrand and Schonberg/Boublill on Margueritte (Lucein)

Michael directed Ruthie Henshall's one woman show at the Royal Festival Hall and subsequent UK Tour. He directed 'From West End to Broadway' featuring six leading West End artists in concert as well as the controversial play The Pitchfork Disney, by Philip Ridley for the Yvonne Arnaud Mill Studio.