Regret from UDM leads alumna to solo theatrical show

For more than 20 years, Michelle Murphy ’98 held onto a regret from college: the time she let fear win. 

It was her senior year at University of Detroit Mercy and, at that time, students in the Theatre program were required to perform a solo show in order to graduate. 

But Murphy avoided doing it. 

"It was part of our graduation curriculum, and I didn’t do it,” Murphy said. “I skirted around it and did some other little pieces or whatever, but I looked back on this bucket-list item, this time that I allowed fear to talk me out of something.  

“I carried it with me for the next 20 years of my career.” 

That regret was the inspiration behind Keeper, a solo show written, produced and performed by Murphy.  

She will return to Michigan to perform the one-woman show at Northville’s Tipping Point Theatre from July 31-Aug. 2. 

A coming-of-age memoir, Keeper explores the Dearborn native’s summers at youth camp and addresses topics such as self-worth, abandonment and other “misbeliefs” that children face while growing up. It culminates with Murphy realizing that she is a keeper — and always was. 

A leap of faith 

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked Murphy to look inward, specifically at why she avoided doing the solo show as a college senior.  

These moments of introspection led her to create Keeper. 

“When I wrote the show, it was about discovering where my misbeliefs had started, or lies that you tell yourself when you’re young that you carry with you,” Murphy said. “It was about figuring out my self-worth. And if I could identify that and not be held back by these misbeliefs anymore, what can I achieve beyond that?” 

It took Murphy several months to write Keeper, and the process allowed her to revisit childhood memories, including those from her time at Camp Dearborn. 

“I sort of had to be my own therapist in terms of taking care of my younger self as I was writing this,” Murphy said. “Once I finally had written all these painful and ‘aha’ stories, we added the camp element, which brings the fun and joy.” 

In writing Keeper, Murphy also had to push past the fear that it would be much more than a collection of her personal stories: it would touch on her parents and other people in her life, through her eyes. 

“What I really discovered with the show is if I can push past that fear, if I can get to the other side of it, what we all discover on the other side is really the magic,” Murphy said. 

Murphy portrays several characters during her one-woman show. They include younger versions of herself at 6, 8, 12 and 15 years old, her mother, a neighbor and her second-grade teacher. 

Acting all of those roles in front of a live audience can be demanding. It's a feeling Murphy equates to jumping out of an airplane. 

"It’s a trust, leap-and-the-net-will-appear sort of mentality,” Murphy said. “There are moments sometimes where I go, ‘Well, I hope all the words are going to come out of my mouth.’ You launch out there and it’s like flying. You can feel the presence of the people who are there to be part of this experience with you.” 

Learning the fundamentals 

At UDM, Murphy was involved with Detroit Mercy Theatre Company and says she learned invaluable performing arts skills. Having to do a variety of different things beyond acting — such as managing the stage and serving in technical crew roles — gave Murphy a foundation that she said has helped with Keeper, which she wrote, produced, performed and has sold tickets for. 

“My education really set me up for success because we had to do everything,” she said.  

UDM is also where she discovered what it meant to give back. 

Murphy remembers volunteering at Detroit’s Capuchin Soup Kitchen as part of a Humanities course, as well as teaching Detroit Public School children how to use their voice through a program called Little Bear. 

“I found I did a lot of work with children and have worked with children throughout my career. But really, it started in college,” Murphy said. “That kind of work, it changed me. It changed my life.” 

Murphy said she has donated proceeds from previous Keeper performances to an anti-bullying camp in California. 

Shared experiences 

Murphy has been performing Keeper since the fall of 2022. But she initially thought it was going to be a one-time show, meant to replace the regret from 1998. 

“I was like, ‘Oh, good, I can let my former professor know I did it — Lonnie Fleischer, I did it, give me an A,’” Murphy said. 

But she realized Keeper had important, relatable messages that resonated with her audience. By being vulnerable and sharing her personal stories on stage, Murphy said it has helped people be vulnerable as well. 

“We all have those experiences,” Murphy said. “You’re going to tell yourself a story when you’re young, you’ve created the memory and that’s when you forget the other stuff. When it arises, you go, ‘Oh, I can color in other parts of this picture. I can do that and make it a better memory for myself.’” 

Murphy experienced it firsthand two years ago when she performed Keeper in Royal Oak with her parents in the crowd. People were approaching them afterward and sharing their own stories. 

“People were going up to my father and sharing personal stories about their life,” Murphy said. “That to me was so special to see.” 

For Murphy, her performances at Tipping Point Theatre will serve as a bit of a homecoming. Even after three years, there’s a certain joy she gets from doing her solo show. 

“It’s magic,” she said. “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done.” 

Learn more about Murphy’s performances of Keeper at Tipping Point Theatre in Northville.