About
Thirty years in the room.
Jim Harris is an actor, director and fight choreographer, and Associate Professor of Theatre at Emporia State University, where he has taught since 2019. He teaches acting, movement and stage combat, script analysis, play directing and dramatic literature, and coordinates the university’s B.S.E. program in Speech & Theatre — preparing the people who will run high school theatre programs across the region.
He began acting professionally in 1993, with work at Actors Theatre of Louisville (as a member of its Acting Apprenticeship Program), Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, and five seasons as William Henry Harrison in the outdoor drama Tecumseh!. He holds an MFA in Acting from Purdue University, where three years of intensive Meisner training became the foundation of how he works and teaches.
Before Emporia State, Jim spent eleven years as Director of Theatre at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton, and choreographed fights for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre’s Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night and more. At ESU his productions have been recognized by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival: God of Carnage received a national award and, with Endgame, was invited to the Region V festival; both, along with How I Learned to Drive, earned Certificates of Merit in Direction.
Education
Master of Fine Arts, Acting
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
Acting Apprenticeship Program
Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
Bachelor of Arts, Theatre
University of Central Arkansas, Conway, Arkansas
Training & methods
- Meisner Technique
- Stanislavski
- Lessac
- Laban
- Viewpoints
- Stage Combat — Rapier & Dagger, Unarmed, Quarterstaff, Broadsword, Found Object
On directing
“A director’s job isn’t just to have a vision. It’s to articulate that vision in a way that makes people want to build it with you.”
Artistic statement
How I run a rehearsal
I came to directing after a long career as an actor. In thirty-odd years on stage I worked with a wide range of directors — some truly brilliant, others… let’s say educational in their own way. Both kinds taught me what makes a rehearsal room work.
Everything starts with communication. I speak the language of actors, designers, technicians and stage managers, and I want every one of them to feel heard. Good theatre is built on trust, curiosity and a willingness to play. Rehearsals should be rigorous and full of discovery; when artists feel supported and challenged in equal measure, the work gets electric.
My approach is actor-focused and text-driven. Whether it’s a contemporary drama, a biting comedy or a classic, I’m after layered, truthful performances: precise staging, clear motivation, and enough freedom for actors to take real risks. Everyone — from the lead to whoever runs the last light cue — is part of telling the story.
Recognition
Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
- 2022National Award, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival — God of Carnage
- 2022Certificate of Merit in Direction, KCACTF — God of Carnage
- 2022Invited Production, KCACTF Region V Festival 55 — God of Carnage
- 2023Certificate of Merit in Direction, KCACTF — How I Learned to Drive
- 2021Certificate of Merit in Direction, KCACTF — Endgame
- 2021Invited Production, KCACTF Region V Festival 53 — Endgame