Actor, Singer, Dancer, Stage Manager, Choreographer From Broad Street to Broadway!
Name: Jim Barrow Birthday: February 10th College: University of Georgia Majors: Theatre & Political Science Minor: Religion
Jim as the Mayor of Munchkinland in OYP's production of The Wizard of Oz. (Photo credit: Kent Hannon)
Jim (right) rehearses as Dill in Town and Gown's production of To Kill a Mockingbird. (Photo credit: Unknown)
Biography
Jim Barrow is a successful comedic musical theatre actor who has a wide type of range in his ability. He first discovered his love for theatre when he appeared as the Mayor of Muchkinland in The Wizard of Oz. From there he went on to appear in roles such as Dill in To Kill A Mockingbird and Harlem in Life With Father.
While in high school, Jim discovered his love for verse and the Bard. He went to play such roles as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew while continuing in musicals, playing roles such as Doody in Grease, Courfeyrac, Monteparnasse, and Ensemble in Les Miserables, Angie the Ox in Guys and Dolls, and the double track of Sid/Muff Potter in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Jim chose to attend the University of Georgia after graduating from high school to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. This allowed Jim to pursue other areas of interest such as Political Science and Religion. Upon graduation, Jim earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Political Science with a minor in Religion. Some of the classes Jim has taken included Theatre: Simulated Patient Training, Stage Management, Religion and Literature: the Harry Potter series, Political Science: Game Theory and Literature.
Jim attributes some of his sharp technique to his political science background, which gives him a more analytical eye to match the creative training he has gotten from theatre. In addition to his class work, Jim appeared in numerous stage productions including the one-man Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, Robert Cecil/Nate in Equivocation, Sir William Lucas in Pride and Prejudice, Judge/Ensemble in Chicago (directed by Tony Award winner, Chet Walker), Grumio in The Taming of the Shrew, and the role of Dad in the world premiere of Zombie U.
While at UGA, Jim has been fortunate enough to go on two studies abroad. The first was for a Maymester where Jim lived in Corotna, Italy for a week studying in commedia del’arte and Shakespeare. The study abroad ended with a production of Much Ado About Nothing where Jim played the role of Don Pedro. The second was a Transatlantic Shakespeare where Jim spent four weeks studying at the Folger Theatre/Library. On this leg of the trip, Jim and two of his classmates created an original piece entitled You Must Awake Your Faith: 9 Scenes from Shakespeare. In this show, Jim covered several different types of roles from Queen Margaret in Richard III to Claudio in Measure for Measure, to Lord Capulet in Romeo and Juliet to Petruchio from The Taming of the Dude (a gender reversed version of Taming of the Shrew, adapted by Fran Teague). The next leg of the trip was spent in Oxford, England studying Shakespeare under Dr. Elisabeth Dutton at the Univeristy of Oxford, attending Shakespeare shows in London and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Jim considers himself very fortunate so far in his life but knows that the greater adventure, in theatre and in life, is out there, just waiting for him.