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Keri Michaelis is no ordinary mom. She’s a multi-tasking, multi-talented wife and self-appointed ‘stage’ mom with three kids ranging in ages from 9-15. A graduate of Georgia Tech, Michaelis grew up in Linwood, New Jersey, the second of four girls. Michaelis, her husband Charlie, oldest son Foster (15), Luke (14) and Nora (9), have lived in Johns Creek for 13 years. The two youngest children have had stars in their eyes since they were babies, and thankfully they live in the Hollywood of the East, so no need to pick up the whole crew and move to Los Angeles. Michaelis has had to learn the business of show as she goes, in between shuttling all three kids to school and the two youngest to piano, dance, acting and singing lessons, rehearsals, and premieres. All while juggling the complexities and demands of raising Foster, her son with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Life has not always been the fairy tale that Michaelis grew up reading as a child. When Foster was born, he developed normally, but it quickly became evident that he did not seem to enjoy playing with other children his age. He was easily upset by changes in his routine. Michaelis quit her job as a Human Resources Manager with a large consulting firm just before his diagnosis at age 2. So began the ins and outs of the early intervention process with a child on the autism spectrum, managing the finances associated with having a special needs child, and all of the doctor's appointments and behavioral interventions required in an effort to mainstream their son in public school.
As hard as things were with Foster, the easier they were with Luke. While Michaelis was often focused on Foster, Luke started performing at the age seven in a Disney world premiere production followed by a showcase in front of 3,000 people. He soon began teaching himself piano, guitar, ukulele, and drums. National TV commercials for Band-Aid, Chopped Jr./Crocs, and Netflix, as well as major theater productions, followed. Luke was selected as All-Star at the 2013 and the 2017 Junior Theater Festival. He trains over three hours a week with Dance It Off Sandy Springs in their Musical Theater Dance Troupe and attends a daily acting class in his high school. He also has an agent and regularly auditions for film and TV projects filming in and around Atlanta.
Five years after Luke was born, Keri and Charlie were blessed with a daughter, Nora. The precocious child grew up watching Luke perform all around the Atlanta area, mostly in musical theater. She too began taking acting, piano, dance and singing lessons and rehearsing for local shows. For the past year, she has been a member at the Junior Troupe at Off Broadway Children’s Theatre in Alpharetta and will be performing at the Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta in January. She starred in the Band-Aid TV commercial with Luke and then landed her first television role in the upcoming TVOne television movie, Downsized, starring Nicole Ari Parker and Boris Kodjoe (premiering Sept. 16). Nora, who portrays “Daisy,” has a speaking role and is quite prominently featured in this television movie filmed in Newnan this past April. Michaelis drove Nora to and from the movie location, spent long days on set with Nora waiting for her to be called to set, waiting for hair, waiting for makeup, and worrying about Foster, Luke and Charlie and what’s for dinner.
Does the life of a ‘stage’ mom ever leave time for herself? “Not much,” according to Michaelis. Thankfully one of her biggest talents is organization. “I have a weekly calendar planning meeting with my husband just to make sure everyone is fed, picked up and prepared, no matter what." She balances it all with a part-time job as a health care consultant, preparing legal experts for trial. Thankfully, she works from home so the occasional audition or coaching session can easily be added to the calendar. Michaelis manages the kids' social media accounts, communicates with their agencies, schedules coaching and self-tapes for TV/film opportunities, and seeks out upcoming auditions for local stage productions.
The TVOne movie is not only a big deal for Nora, but also for the family. Michaelis hopes this is the start of what could turn out to be a big stepping stone for Nora. In between her juggling act, Michaelis’ advice to would-be stage moms is “Be flexible. Make sure your kids are constantly gathering experience for their resumes, especially a weekly acting, TV/film or improv class. Land them representation with a good SAG franchised agent. Get them a fabulous headshot and keep it current. Keep detailed records of their expenses once they start earning money for their college funds and hire a great CPA. Most importantly, make sure the kids are having fun. If it’s no longer fun, move onto something different.” Yes, Michaelis has her hands full, but she wouldn’t want it any other way. And did I mention, Foster has his Learner’s Permit now?
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