EMU Today

YPSILANTI — Eastern Michigan University Theatre Arts majors James Bolosh (BS91) and Michael Page (BS02) each had a role in the 2024 Tony Awards ceremony on June 16, and both scored big professional wins in the process.

Bolosh, a Livonia native and executive consultant for the entertainment industry, describes himself as a lifelong fan of the theatre.

“Most kids in my high school went to Daytona Beach for spring break,” Bolosh says. “I went to New York City to see shows.”

That lifelong love came full circle for Bolosh on June 16, when he won a Tony Award as co-producer of the year’s best play, “Stereophonic.” The show is the most nominated play in Tony Award history, with 13 nominations, and in addition to Best Play, it won Best Direction of a Play, Best Featured Actor in a Play, Best Scenic Design, and Best Sound Design. 

Between his boyhood treks to Broadway and winning theatre’s highest honor, Bolosh built a career as a producer and creative executive for networks including Lifetime, MTV, VH1 and HGTV, where he was responsible for the series “HGTV Design Star” and “House Hunters International,” and for growing the on-camera career of David Bromstad and others. 

Early this year, Bolosh took on something entirely new when he signed on to co-produce “Stereophonic.”

“I can tell you anything about television and digital content after being in those worlds for over 25 years, but theatre is a different beast,” Bolosh says. “What they do have in common is respecting and nurturing the creative process, which I excelled at in TV, and my fellow producers, Greg Nobile, Sue Wagner and John Johnson, do so well in the theatre. This experience,” he says, “has been life changing.”

Long before the big night, another Eastern alum was working on a Tony Awards project in a very different role. Michael Page, general manager of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, was firming up plans for the awards ceremony’s change of venue to the Center’s David H. Koch Theatre. Page leads a team focused on finance, production management and venue contracts for the 16-acre, multi-venue complex. 

“Ultimately,” he says, “my team is responsible for approximately $35 million in revenue and activity on campus every year.”

Page knew the Tony Awards were looking for a new location and reached out to them in early 2023. 

“We looked at dates and venues on Lincoln Center’s campus that would be appropriate, organized several sight visits, and ultimately, it turned into an agreement to use multiple buildings,” he says. In addition to the awards ceremony location, Lincoln Center provided venues for the red carpet, press operations and the event’s after party.

As a student at Eastern, Page was a Theatre Arts major focused on performance, and particularly interested in directing, he says.

“The theatre department at EMU is a world-class training ground for artists who want to do as much as they can in the art form,” he says, noting he was able to get experience on stage and behind the scenes, while taking classes with an inspiring faculty and staff. 

“The department is flexible in a way that allows students to get as much out of it as they need or want, and that training has served me well in my career.”

About Eastern Michigan University
Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest public university in Michigan. It currently serves more than 13,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Engineering and Technology; Health and Human Services; and its graduate school. National publications regularly recognize EMU for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. Visit the University’s rankings and points of pride websites to learn more. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website. To stay up to date on University news, activities and announcements, visit EMU Today.