James P. Mirrione
1738 71st Street
Brooklyn, New York 11204
Home/Office 1-917-361-6067
[email protected]
Curriculum Vitae
Education
B.A. English, St. Mary’s College, Winona, Minnesota
B.A. Theology, St. Mary’s College, Winona, Minnesota
M.A. Educational Theatre, New York University England Study Abroad Program
Curtain Theatre, Bretton Hall College, London
Bretton Hall College, Wakefield
Ph.D. Educational Theatre 1991, New York University
Dissertation: “An examination of the Writing Process in Theatre-in-Education (TIE) Plays”
This was the first study to analyze the principles essential for the dramatic construction of
TIE plays. The investigation was based upon a sample of the author’s own TIE plays written
for the Creative Arts Team and resulted in the creation of fifty basic considerations for future
writers in the field of theatre-in-education.
Professional and Academic Experience
United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), 2005-Present
Full Professor and Head of the Theatre/Drama Initiative. Member of Provost’s Task Force
for the New Vision Review.
Courses taught included: Practical Introduction to Theatre; Approaches to Drama; Drama in
Education; Practicum in Theatre; Fundamentals of Stage Production; Playwrighting in Arab
World and Introduction to Literature.
Frazier Arms Museum, Louisville, Kentucky, 2003-2004
Playwright-in-Residence.
Bretton Hall College, University of Leeds, 2000-2003
AHRB Research Fellow in Creative and Performing Arts. Post Doctoral Fellowship to
establish a Center for International Interventionist Theatre.
Creative Arts Team, New York University, 1974-2003
Co-founding member and playwright-in-residence for the Creative Arts Team (CAT), the
professional educational theatre company at New York University. Responsible for 19
theatre-in-education (TIE) plays for the company, dealing with a wide range of social,
curricular, and topical issues for junior and high school audiences.
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Development, 1987-1990. Assisted in the development and fund-raising activities of CAT’s
touring productions. Responsibilities included conducting proposal meetings; speaking
presentations to city and state funders; and liaison activities between CAT and tour producers.
Workshop Leader, 1981-1987. Responsible for the design and implementation of the “Meet
the Playwright” component of CAT’s Reading Support Program, developed to introduce
education production. Conducted workshops for more than 2,000 students per year in junior
high school classes.
Education Coordinator, 1980-1985. Responsible for the curriculum design for CAT’s four
drama-in-education (DIE) and theatre-in-education (TIE) programs and the training of
actor/teachers for the programs.
Reading Support Program. A performance and drama workshop program designed to
increase specific language and written communication skills with 7th grade students
functioning at below-reading level.
Conflict Resolution Through Drama. A performance and workshop program that
addressed such issues as youth employment skills, teen pregnancy, and drug and alcohol abuse
with at-risk junior and senior high school students.
Arts Partners. A drama-in-education residency program focusing on specific educational
objectives in eleven (11) New York City school districts.
Special Education. A drama workshop residency program to develop cognitive and
socialization skills for students with special needs.
Actor/Teacher, 1974-1980. Performed in the first six (6) theatre-in-education (TIE)
productions of the Creative Arts Team.
Pula and Zagreb, Croatia and Sarajevo, Bosnia, 2000-2002
Workshop Leader in Interventionist Theatre Concepts.
New York University, Gallatin Division, 1983-1999
Adjunct Professor, 1986-1999. Course: Oral Exam Review of Required Texts.
Academic Advisor, 1983-1999. Responsible for advising graduate and undergraduate
students on their courses of study; serving on oral exams for graduate and undergraduate
candidates; and supervising graduate Master’s theses and final projects.
Notre Dame High School, New York City, 1993-1998.
Teacher. English, Grades 10-12.
Drama Consultant.
ACULSPEC, United States Information Services, U.S. Embassy, Amman,
Jordan, 1995
Conducted workshops on conflict resolution in regard to Jordanian-Israeli relations.
Sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Queen Noor Al-Hussein
Foundation.
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MKFM International Youth Theatre Festeival, Pula, Croatia, 1997-1998
Conducted workshops with Croat and Serbian actors in conflict resolution.
Adapted the play Roundheads and Peakheads by Bertolt Brecht.
Bretton Hall College, University of Leeds, M.A. Summer Program, 1994
Lecturer.
New York University School of Education, Health, Nursing, and Arts
Professions, 1980-1990
Guest Lecturer. Subjects: Theatre-in-Education (TIE) Practices; Playwrighting; and History
of TIE.
New York University, School of Continuing Education, 1980-1987
Adjunct Professor in Theatre of Ideas.
New York University, Gallatin Division, 1983-1984
Adjunct Professor. Course: Classic Texts
Sunrise Semester, “Drama in Education,” CBS
Guest Lecturer.
Program in Educational Theatre, 1976-1978
Teaching Fellow. Responsibilities included production assistance for classical and modern
plays at the Educational Theatre Auditorium; and teaching undergraduate classes in acting,
directing, and TIE devising.
Nazareth Regional High School, Brooklyn, New York, 1972-1974.
Teacher . Theology.
Presentations and Speaking Engagements
Guest Speaker, the University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China, 2008. Topic: “KISS ME
Khatema: Emirati Women’s Responses to Kate’s Last Monologue in The Taming of the
Shrew ”. In Conference “Shakespeare across Continent”.
Guest Speaker, Mulhenberg College, Pennsylvania, 2003. Topic: “The Last Enemy: The
Play and the Process.”
Guest Speaker, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 2003. Topic: “The Making of the
Play: Gilgamesh.”
Guest Speaker, United States Scholar-Athlete Games, University of Ohio, Athens, Ohio,
2003. Topic: “Conflict Resolution Through Theatre and the Artist’s Role During War
Times.”
Guest Speaker, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 2002 and 2003. Topic: The
Middle East Peace Process.”
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Guest Speaker, Baker Peace Studies Conference, University of Ohio, Athens, Ohio, 20012002. Topic: “Peace, War, and Theatre in the Middle East.”
Guest Speaker, Barnard College, New York, 2001-2002. Topic: “The Last Enemy: The
Play and the Process.”
Guest Speaker, Manhattanville College, New York, 2001-2002.
“International Interventionist Theatre Techniques.”
Topic/Workshop:
Guest Speaker/Consultant, John F. Kennedy University, Orinda, California, 1999. Topic:
“Creating an Effective Model for Theatre-in-Education Within the Community.”
Panelist/Guest Lecturer. United States State Department Conference, Wye River
Conference Center, Maryland, 1997. Topic: “An Interpretation of Middle East Leaders in
Relation to the Peace Process through a Drama and Theatre Analysis.”
Guest Speaker. USIA Damascus, Syria, 1995. Topic: “Using Theatre to Address Social
Issues.”
Keynote Speaker, Israeli International Theatre Festival, Dellal Center, Tel Aviv, 1994.
Topic: “The Myth of Cultural Identity.” Workshops for various audiences in Israel on the
theme of Arab-Israeli relations and conflict resolution.
Panelist, American Association of Theatre Education (AATE), 1993.
Directions in Plays for Young People.”
Topic: “New
Symposium Speaker, Vancouver International Youth Theatre Festival, British Columbia,
1989. Topic: “Issue Related Plays for Youth Audience.”
Guest Speaker, ASSITEJ International Theatre Festival, SUNY, Purchase, New York,
1988. Topic: “Theatre-in-Education.”
Panelist, International Symposium on TIE, sponsored by Pepsico Summerfare 88 and New
York University, 1988. Topic: “Theatre-in-Education in the United States.”
Panelist, American Theatre Association Convention, San Francisco, California, 1984.
Topic: “The TIE Playwright in the Modern World.”
Plays Written and Produced
Creative Arts Team Productions
Show of Force 2: Randall’s Story, 1994-1995, New York City Public Schools; 1989-1990,
Brooklyn Academy of Music.
The King of Twelve Blocks, 1992-1993, New York City Public Schools.
Last Year, 1991-1992, New York Public Schools.
The Divider, 1987-1991. New York City Public Schools; Vancouver International Theatre
Festival, British Columbia (1990); Seattle International Youth Theatre Festival (1990);
Edinburgh International Children’s Festival (1990).
Home Court, 1986-1988. New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theatre; New York City
Public Schools; National Basketball Association (N.B.A.) Dallas, Texas and Houston, Texas;
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM); Lehman College, New York; Empire State Plaza (The
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Egg), Albany, New York; BOCES Long Island School Districts; Ithaca, Dundee, Penn Yan,
New York; Edinburgh International Children’s Festival (1990); Seattle International Youth
Festival (1990).
Pressure Cookin’, 1985, New York City Public Schools.
Class Act (co-authored with D. Houston), 1984, New York City Public Schools.
I Never Told Anybody (co-authored with D. Houston), 1984-1987. Henry Street Theatre;
City Center; Triplex Theatre, New York; New York City Public Schools; New York
University; Regional Tour, Syracuse, Rochester, Albany.
Hannibal, 1983-1984. New York City Public Schools.
Joe Louis: The Brown Bomber (book and lyrics), 1981-1983. New York City Public
Schools; Horace Mann Theatre; Columbia University’s Teacher’s College; Kennedy Center,
Washington, D.C. (1983).
Saloogie (book and lyrics), 1980-1981. Commissioned by New York State Division for
Youth and Division of Substance Abuse Services. Henry Street Settlement Theatre; La
Mama; St. Peter’s Church, New York; Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; Ohio
Performing Space, New York.
Rosa Parks: Back of the Bus (book and lyrics), 1980-1981. New York City Public Schools;
New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theatre; Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.; Rosa
Parks Community Arts Center, Detroit, Michigan.
Apartheid, 1978-1979. New York City Public Schools.
Trial of Mary Wade, 1978-1979. New York City Public Schools.
Tower of Babble, 1977-1978. Commissioned by New York Urban Coalition. New York
City Public Schools; American Theatre Association Convention, New York.
Watt Went Wrong?, 1976-1977. New York City Public Schools; Kennedy Center,
Washington, D.C.
Voice of the Mountains, 1976. New York City Public Schools; Kennedy Center,
Washington, D.C.
Stop the Subway, I Want to Get On, 1975-1976. New York City Public Schools; Kennedy
Center, Washington, D.C.
Creative Arts Team Video Scripts
YEVS: Youth Employment Video Series (Head Writer), 1985.
A Few Things to Decide (co-authored with D. Houston), 1984.
Second Skin, 1983.
When Neptune Gets the Juice, 1983.
Broadway
Brassy, 1982-1983. 1st Class Option
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Off-Broadway
Hot Snow, 1987 and 1993. Drama League Evening of One-Acts, Circle Repertory
Company (1987); Company of Characters, Studio City, California (1993).
Off-Off-Broadway
The Last Stop, Will and Testament of Saint Jack Kerouac (book and lyrics), 1994-1997.
Commissioned by New York University for the 50th anniversary of the Beat Generation
Conference, Press 14 Theatre, Camilla Stage Company, Dixon Place.
The Ballad of Joe Six-Pack, 1990 and 1994. Equity Showcase, Press 14 Theatre (1990);
American Academy of Dramatic Arts (1994).
Men in Waiting, 1989-1993. Equity Showcase, Press 14 Theatre, St. Clements, Classic
Stage Company.
The Record, 1979. Equity Showcase, Press 14 Theatre.
Regional Theater
Naomi’s Stereophonic Diner, 2006. Stage One, Louisville, Kentucky.
That Grand and Tragic Show, 2003. Commissioned by Bretton Hall College, University of
Leeds. Based on the book Comrades in Conscience by Cyril Pearce, Powerhouse Theatre,
Wakefield, U.K.
Ambassador Satch: The Life and Times of Louis Armstrong, 2002-2005. Criterion
Theatre, London, England; Queens Theatre in the Park; Lambs Theatre; Prince Music Theatre,
Philadelphia; Helen Hayes Theatre Company, Nyack; White Plains Performing Arts Center;
Cape Playhouse, Massachusetts.
Cheap Sunglasses, 2001-2004. Commissioned by the McCarter Theatre, Princeton, New
Jersey on the subject of domestic violence (2001 tour), Plays for Living (2002 tour); Verizon
Corporation Tour, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky and Lexington Children’s
Theatre, Lexington, Kentucky (2003-2004).
The Last Enemy, 2000-2001. Directed and re-staged this play, Powerhouse Theatre,
Bretton Hall, U.K.
Area Code 212, 1995. Spokane Playwrights Festival, Spokane, Washington. 1st Place.
West End Blues: Louis Armstrong, 1994-1997. Westbeth Theatre; St. Peter’s Church, New
York City; Brooklyn Academy of Music; Queens Theatre in the Park; Tribeca Performing
Arts Center; Emelin Theatre, Mamaroneck, New York; Black Theatre Festival, North
Carolina.
Down Hearted Blues: Bessie Smith, 1994-1997. Westbeth Theatre; St. Peter’s Church,
New York City; Brooklyn Academy of Music; Queens Theatre in the Park; Tribeca
Performing Arts Center; Emelin Theatre, Mamaroneck, New York; Black Theatre Festival,
North Carolina.
Black & Blue: Fats Waller, 1994-1998. Westbeth Theatre; St. Peter’s Church, New York
City; Omaha Theatre Company, Nebraska.
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The Ghost Café, 1992-1996. Commissioned by Carnegie Hall. Three one-act plays with
music on the lives of Bessie Smith, Fats Waller, and Louis Armstrong.
Men in Waiting, 1992-1993.
Theater, Los Angeles, California.
MET Theatre, Los Angeles, California; The Tamarind
Maggie’s Gift, 1981-1982. The Poncho Theatre, Seattle, Washington.
Special Projects
Directed the World Premiere of Lemkin’s House by Catherine Filloux for the Kamerni 55
Theatre in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2004-2005. Co-produced by the United States State
Department and the Ministry of Culture. BIH, and the European World Premiere at the Roxy
Art House Theatre, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Stage One Theatre, 2003-2004. Commission for a new play dealing with incarcerated youth
and teenage pregnant girls.
The Sarajevo Project, 2001-2002. Directed the first U.K. performance of Time Out by
Zlatko Topcic, Kamerni 55 Theatre, Sarajevo, Bosnia. Ppowerhouse Theatre, Bretton Hall
College, University of Leeds; Royal Armouries, Leeds; Riverside Studios, Leeds; Gate
Theatre, London.
International Festival of Theatre for Children and Young People, 1997. Aguascalientes,
Mexico. Conducted a weeklong workshop on community theatre with Mexican and Indian
actors to create a work-in-progress on the plight of children who have disappeared.
United States Information Agency (USIA) 1995-1998. Created the first Palestinian, Israeli,
Jordanian, and Arab-Israeli Theatre Company. Commissioned play, The Last Enemy,
performed at the United Nations, The American Place Theatre, and at venues in Amman,
Ramallah, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Beer Sheva, and Jaffa.
American Representative to a five-person fact-finding delegation to Israel to investigate
conflict resolution models, 1993. Sponsored by the United States Information Agency, the
American Embassy, Tel Aviv, and the Israeli Department of Education.
Publications
“Eve Ensler: Body Trouble.” American Theatre Magazine 20.10 (2003): 42-43.
“What If Lear’s Story Were Your Story?” American Theatre Magazine 18.10 (2001): 66-68.
“The Crossing the Bridge Project: Creating a Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian and Arab-Israeli
Theatre Company and the play The Last Enemy.” NADIE/IDEA Journal 24.2 (2000).
The Divider. Woodstock, Illinois: Dramatic Publishing Co., 1996.
“Playwrighting for TIE.” Learning Through Theatre. Ed. T. Jackson. London: Routledge Press,
1993.
“Perspective on Abortion: Must Men Always Be the Silent Partner?” Los Angeles Times 25
January, 1993.
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Grants Received
Note: Grants Received total approximately $8.5M.
John Hodgson Trust: £10,000 British Sterling ($15,000), 2002-2004
To supplement the touring and directing aspects of the Sarajevo Project in order to work in
Bosnia-Herzegovina with actors from the Kamerni 55 Theatre on two plays: Time Out (2002) and
Lemkin’s House (2004).
Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB) £90,000 British Sterling
($144,000), 2000-2003
To create a center for Interventionist Theatre on the campus of Bretton Hall College, University of
Leeds.
Also received AHRB Small Grants Program and Bretton Hall College £17,000 British Sterling
($29,000) Supplemental funding in the form of three (3) small grants.
Meritz Foundation/U.S. Embassy Israel, $50,000, 2000
To partner with an Israeli NGO and the U.S. Embassy to establish a new tour of the play The Last
Enemy in Israel, Jordan, and Palestine.
Simon Peres Center, $67,000, 1998
To enable the tour of the Middle East Theater Company to take place during the period of
September-December, 1998 in Jordan, Israel, and Palestine.
UNESCO, $50,000, 1997
To draw funds from the cultural wing of UNESCO to continue ongoing support in the area of
conflict resolution through theatre and for general support of the commissioned play, The Last
Enemy, as part of the Crossing the Bridge Project, performed by the Middle East Theatre
Company.
United States State Department, $163,000, 1995-1998
To create the first Palestinian, Israeli, Jordanian, Arab-Israeli Theatre Company. This three-year
project, Crossing the Bridge, involved a series of workshops, readings, and residencies in order to
implement the final goal.
Also received U.S. Embassies, Israel and Jordan, $15,000, Supplemental funding.
The Morris-Ursillo Foundation, $125,000, 1997
To establish a ten-year fund to promote the work of conflict resolution through theatre and drama
in the Middle East and for ongoing theatre and conflict resolution activities in other international
settings.
The Shimkin Foundation, $187,000, 1989
To advance the work of the Creative Arts Team (CAT) in the field of educational theatre and to
provide general support for the ongoing activities of the company.
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