James Thomas is a Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Wayne State University. He received his BA from St. Ambrose College, MA from Villanova University, and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. He has taught at Mt. Holyoke College and Marquette University, and was Associate Dean of the School of Theatre at Florida State University. He was Chair of the Department of Theatre at Wayne State University from 1994-1999 and Interim Chair of the merged Department of Theatre and Dance 2010-2012. In 2001, he established a Study Abroad Program with the Moscow Art Theatre School, which program is now in its 15th year of continuous operation. He has translated the books of the legendary Russian director Anatoly Efros and is presently working on a translation of the rehearsal journals for Efros's ground-breaking production of Anton Chekhov's play, The Seagull. He is author of Script Analysis for Actors, Directors, and Designers, which is now in its fifth edition and the standard text in the field. His is recipient of the Service Award from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and the Outstanding Mentor Award and Murray Jackson Creative Scholar in the Arts Award from Wayne State University.
