Michael has designed the sets and costumes for over 200 theatre and opera productions both in the UK and abroad including those he has directed.

Companies he has worked with include: The Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre, The Royal Opera House, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Opera North, English Touring Opera, De Vlaamse Opera Antwerp, Los Angeles Opera, New Zealand International Art’s Festival, Galaxy Theatre Tokyo, Warsaw Globe Theatre Company, Munich Biennalle, Lyric Hammersmith, The Royal Court, Almeida Theatre, Soho Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange, Birmingham Rep., West Yorkshire Playhouse, Sheffield Crucible, Northampton Theatre Royal, Liverpool Playhouse and Everyman, Nottingham Playhouse, Bristol Old Vic, Plymouth Theatre Royal, Edinburgh Royal Lyceum, Oldham Coliseum, Manchester Library Theatre, Salisbury Playhouse, Colchester Mercury Theatre, English Touring Theatre, The Royal Festival Hall, The Queen Elizabeth Hall, The Sage Gateshead, Wales Millenium Centre, Battersea Arts Centre, Spymonkey, Kneehigh Theatre Company, Bolton Octagon (with whom he is an Associate Artist) and Told by an Idiot (with whom he is an Associate Idiot).

His work has been nominated for two Olivier Awards, an Irish Times Theatre Award, a Manchester Evening News Theatre Award, a Charrington Fringe First Award and two Off West End Theatre Awards.