James Anderson

by Brett Potter
Photo by Brett Potter
September 17, 2004

James Anderson’s favorite phrase is “theater begets theater.” He loves to get others excited about theater by doing it himself. “Theater is all about intentions and getting the right wig if you do a period piece,” says Anderson, who is a veteran of theater in Mississippi at age 55. And good intentions are exactly what he has for the stages here in Jackson.

Born in Esslingen, Germany, Anderson moved to Bolton, Miss., when he was adopted in the 4th grade. He has since been involved with Mississippi community theater non-stop. His latest project was directing “The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr: Abridged” at Millsaps College to help raise money for the Lance Goss Endowment for Theater. He had done the show in 2000 with three other actors. Anderson says he decided to become active in helping the program at Millsaps a few years ago because it makes him feel good to see students as interested in the stage as he was as a student at Millsaps in the late ‘60s.

“We tell the truth of the human heart or the human situation on stage,” says Anderson about his passion for doing theater—be it acting as he did in “Fiddler On The Roof” or directing as he so often does now. He believes that theater is stronger and more vibrant now than it has been in quite some time in Jackson. Anderson is doing more than his part in making this vibrancy possible with his group Chimneyville Reader’s Theatre—where he adapts stories from Eudora Welty for the group to perform. Because he loves writing and directing, he says this project gives him a chance to flex both sets of muscles. Anderson also worked with the Fondren Theatre Workshop, directing music for “Through the Looking Glass,” which was recommended to the Oxford Shakespeare Fest and was produced there this summer.

Anderson wants to work with people who want to grow in the process—to take risks and make bold choices about their roles. He does this by surrounding himself with the people at the Fondren Theatre Workshop whose motto is, “We are not a community theater; we are creating a theater community.”

You can’t help but believe him, too, when he speaks of all the things he has done in Jackson, helping others discover their passion for theater. Now Anderson, scheduled to direct "My Fair Lady" for the Vicksburg Theater Guild this spring, has his eyes set on helping the theater community to grow all around Mississippi.