MICHAEL MENDEZ was born in the Dominican Republic and is now a Sarasota resident. He is in his eighth season with WBTT. Michael earned rave reviews for his impressive work in Five Guys Named Moe, Love Sung in the Key of Aretha, Blackbird: The Story of Josephine Baker, The Fabulous 5, Soul Crooners, and ’50s Jukebox Revue. He starred as Harry Belafonte in the Troupe’s 2014 hit, Harry and Lena, was Seymour in the 2015 blockbuster Little Shop of Horrors, the Wiz in 2016’s The Wiz, and Lymon in The Piano Lesson. In 2014, Michael was awarded a prestigious John Ringling Tower Fund grant in the performing arts category by the Arts & Cultural Alliance during its annual celebration and awards that year.