James R. Luigs

Jim Luigs is a playwright, librettist, and lyricist, who has directed plays and musicals in regional theaters throughout the U.S. He is currently adapting the libretto of The Merry Widow for a new production commissioned by Houston Grand Opera.  He was commissioned by Seattle Opera to write the book and lyrics for Das Barbecü, a musical, which has since received more than 150 productions worldwide. His first full-length play, Second Wind, won first place in The Texas Playwrights’ Festival and received staged readings at STAGES in Houston and the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. His play, Spread Eagle, received a staged reading at The Mark Taper Forum before opening off-Broadway at the W.P.A. Theater. He enjoyed a decades-long collaboration with singer Barbara Cook, with whom he developed cabaret as well as concert appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, on Broadway, and in the West End. Jim directed the world premiere of his musical, The Plexiglass Slipper, at Lyric Stage in Irving, Texas. That production, for which he also wrote the book and lyrics, was awarded Dallas/Ft. Worth’s Leon Rabin Award for Best Musical. As a script consultant to Music Theater International, he adapted more than a dozen classic stage musicals for performance by students. For Walt Disney Theatrical Productions, he adapted the animated feature film, Aladdin, for the stage. In addition to his work in the theater, Jim owns and manages an interior-design business, which serves clients throughout the United States and abroad. His work as a designer has been published internationally in Architectural Digest, Interior Design, British House and Garden, and ELLE Decor, among others. He is a graduate of Duke University.