James Van Oort, M.F.A.

Education:

• M.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Minnesota State University, Mankato
• B.A. from Dakota Wesleyan University

Biography:

James C. Van Oort holds an MFA in Directing from Minnesota State University, Mankato and currently serves as the Scene Shop Supervisor and Assistant Technical Director in the Department of Performing Arts. He has appeared many time on stage at MSU and his thesis production of Silent Sky was an invited production at KCACTF Region V in 2021. His play, Spiders in the Night, premiered at Dakota Wesleyan University in 2015, and his play, We All Live Together, was funded with a grant from the South Dakota Arts Council. Current playwriting projects include a one-person drama, My Addie, and a seasonal Christmas comedy with the working title Santa Peed in my Stocking. James serves on the board of directors of Merely Players Community Theatre and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.