photo: Joe Mazza
James Fleming is an NYC-based theatre and opera director born in New Jersey and raised in Chicago. Previously, James served as Associate Artistic Director at Redtwist Theatre and Director of New Works at The New Colony in Chicago, where he created and produced the inaugural UNCHARTED Festival, a two week developmental showcase of ambitious new works by Chicago-based playwrights.
His directing credits include Wellesley Girl by Brendan Pelsue (Compass Theatre); Scare Me by Grace McLeod and Fun Harmless Warmachine by Fin Coe (The New Coordinates); Herland by Grace McLeod, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, and MJ Kaufman's Sagittarius Ponderosa by MJ Kaufman (Redtwist Theatre); Next to Normal by Tom Kitt & Brian Yorkey, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, and green suga bloos by Rudi Goblen (Yale School of Drama).
He has taught and directed internationally, including Sin Eaters by Anna Ouyang Moench (I.L. Caragiale, Bucharest, Romania). In 2018, James worked on a collaborative team with Peca Stefan, Tamilla Woodard, and Ana Margineanu of PopUp Theatrics to produce the Chicago story for #THENEWOLDHOME, a mix between puzzle, social game, exhibition, audio drama and interactive installation which premiered at CLB Berlin.
Passionate about community-building through cultural organizations, James worked for several years as the Office & Communications Manager for Slover Linett Audience Research, a leading social research firm for the cultural sector, and as a research assistant with the Cultural Policy Center at the Harris School of Public Policy.
James holds an MFA in Directing from Yale School of Drama and a BA in Public Policy and Theatre & Performance Studies from The University of Chicago.