Oakwood native back in the spotlight in ‘Marathon’

Oakwood native, Tony Award nominee and Muse Machine alum Micah Stock is back in the spotlight.

The Broadway, film and TV actor has a role in the Sundance Film Festival hit “Brittany Runs A Marathon,” now playing at The Neon in Dayton.

The indie film won Sundance’s audience award and ignited a bidding war that culminated in Amazon Studios buying the film for $14 million, according to Variety.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Oakwood native nominated for Tony award

The film is about a young woman’s journey to pull herself out of a rut and make major lifestyle changes — including quitting her partying ways — to improve her health by training for and running a marathon. Stock plays Brittany’s friend, Seth, who runs with her.

The film screenings at The Neon movies in Dayton will feature a special introduction by Stock, Neon Movies manager Jonathan McNeal said.

Stock is perhaps best known for roles in the Showtime miniseries “Escape at Dannemora” and for playing Doug in the Netflix dark comedy series “Bonding.”

“This is a really special movie,” Stock said in a phone interview. “I found it to be funny and smart and uplifting.”

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Stock, the son of Richard Stock and Barbara John, has appeared in two plays by Terrence McNally, “And Away We Go” and “It’s Only a Play,” for which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He also appeared on Broadway in the 2016 revival of “The Front Page.”

He now appears in National Geographic network’s television series “The Right Stuff” as Deke Slayton.

Through it all, he hasn’t forgotten where he started on his path to fame.

“I still think about Muse all the time,” he said. “The beautiful thing about Muse Machine is that it is all-encompassing. I thought of being part of Muse as being on the top of the world.”

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Oakwood native Micah Stock gets his big break

His best advice for aspiring performers?

“Find the people who see you for who you are, (people) who you don’t have to change for, and hold them close,” he said. “I think there is an idea that you have to be liked by everybody and please everybody.”

Whenever there is an opportunity, Stock still helps the Muse Machine. He is part of its advisory board and helps get artists to speak with Muse teachers.

“When I am back in Dayton, I try to find a way to interact with students,” he said. “I love Dayton. I carry Dayton close to my heart. I wish my hometown well. The past six months, I have carried it even closer to my heart.”

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