James A. Goins

James A. Goins

Known for being a modern-day Renaissance man, James has established himself as an inventive and musically sensitive director of Theatre, Musicals, and Film. He is a freelance director whose credits include Of Mice and Men, Jesus Christ Superstar, Raisin in the Sun, Taming of the Shrew, Equus, 12 Angry Jurors and Proof just to name a few. His plays and musicals have been workshopped or produced at the Mark Taper...
Known for being a modern-day Renaissance man, James has established himself as an inventive and musically sensitive director of Theatre, Musicals, and Film. He is a freelance director whose credits include Of Mice and Men, Jesus Christ Superstar, Raisin in the Sun, Taming of the Shrew, Equus, 12 Angry Jurors and Proof just to name a few. His plays and musicals have been workshopped or produced at the Mark Taper Forum Annex, the Laity Theatre Company, New Musicals, Inc. and the Chameleon Theatre Circle. James brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to every project he works on.

James composes, directs and writes for film, and theatre. His music style covers musical genres such as Orchestral, Contemporary Classical, Instrumental, Soundtrack, Jazz and Soul.

James is a member of BMI, The Dramatist Guild of America, The American Composers Forum, The Playwrights Center, The National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc., Composers Diversity Collective, Theatre West, The Society of Composers & Lyricist, and the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers. He is the Executive Director of the Laity Institute of the Arts, a Private Arts Foundation which teaches the visual and performing arts to children and adults. He is also an accomplished playwright and composer. He learned to hone his skills in musical theatre through New Musicals Inc. formerly the Academy for New Musical Theatre.

​He studied music under Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated composers such as Gerald Fried (Roots, Roots: The Next Generation, Star Trek, Napoleon, and Josephine) Thomas Richard Sharp (When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers, Aladdin, Little Mermaid) Jerry Grant (Quantum Leap, Hired to Kill, Hunter) and composition under Dr. Russel Steinberg one of America's leading Neo-Classical composer, conductor and music educators. He was also the subject of an original autobiographical television pilot written by Jeffrey Alan Fiskin and produced by Linda Obst and Stacey Sher called "Homeboyz" dealing with the care and nurturing of hardened gang members and student dropouts in Watts and South-Central Los Angeles in the 1990s.

​He has written a TV Sci-Fi pilot (The Guardian) and a TV Drama pilot which he adapted into a feature-length screenplay called "2 Much 4 Words" for VEL Films his indie film company. He has released four CDs and a long-awaited concept recording of "This Time and Age" A New Rock Musical. (Think Jesus Christ Superstar meets LOTR) which in his words is his "artistic love letter to Andrew Lloyd Weber and Tim Rice's seminal work."

​James has a BA in Theatre from California State University Dominguez Hills. He later attended UCLA where he received his Teaching Credential and completed his training in Film Scoring from UCLA's Film Scoring program. He also holds an Executive MBA from Grand Canyon University. He has been directly or indirectly involved in the entertainment industry for over 30 years.

Plays

  • This Time and Age A Musical
    Cyrus and Trina Peters have long longed for his father since his disappearance. One day a package arrives at his home containing a small metallic book. He suddenly realizes that this is the object mentioned in his father's journal, along with clues, names, and locations of where his father had been, along with a cryptic message concerning the book with pleadings to: "Return to God before the Fallen...
    Cyrus and Trina Peters have long longed for his father since his disappearance. One day a package arrives at his home containing a small metallic book. He suddenly realizes that this is the object mentioned in his father's journal, along with clues, names, and locations of where his father had been, along with a cryptic message concerning the book with pleadings to: "Return to God before the Fallen One finds."

    After he and his sister listen to a hidden message from their father explaining the importance of the small book, Cyrus believes his father may still be alive and sets out to find him by using the journal as a guide and somehow returning the book to God. But little does he know that his quest will bring him face-to-face with the ancient enemy, the Fallen One himself, Lucifer. Lucifer has been searching for this little book, this Codex, that has the power to alter God's grand scheme to complete the redemption of His creation, remove evil from the earth, and restore man's place in the eternal kingdom.

    With time ticking down and a world in flux, an imminent showdown between the forces of good and evil will throw us headlong into an adventure that will leave you on the edge of your seat as our hero’s quest moves him toward the ultimate truth in This Time and Age.
  • Way Back When A Musical Fairy Tale
    War has broken out over the death of a patriarch. One brother, taking his lead from the biblical story of Esau and Jacob, steals his brother’s birthright and the kingdom is split in two. Thus begins Way Back When (The tale of the Clown from Pollis Minor.)

    At the start we meet Clown a court jester from the old kingdom of Pollis before it was split in two. He now rides back and forth between the...
    War has broken out over the death of a patriarch. One brother, taking his lead from the biblical story of Esau and Jacob, steals his brother’s birthright and the kingdom is split in two. Thus begins Way Back When (The tale of the Clown from Pollis Minor.)

    At the start we meet Clown a court jester from the old kingdom of Pollis before it was split in two. He now rides back and forth between the two opposing kingdoms trying to mend what was once whole. Only cunning, skill and outright manipulation of men, their hearts and God can make that happen and Clown is the person for it.

    With the end of the war his catalyst, and the love of two young hearts as his guide, he forges forth to uncover a most incredible secret, that if revealed would have dire consequence for both kingdoms!

    Length: 90 Minutes
    17 Numbers
    5M and 5W (+) 8 Additional
    Set Requirements: Single Set. Props and set pieces determine locations.
  • Just Like That
    Chris and June, a mixed-race couple return to the burnt-out shell of their business in the minority business sector of St. Paul, Minnesota three days after the riots brought on by the murder of George Floyd.
  • Bridget's Girl A Musical
    "Winner - Best Musical" Chameleon Theatre Circle's Tenth Annual New Play Contest!

    Bridget is trying to get started on her sculpture. A skylight illuminates a wire structure roughly the size of a very tall female with arms reaching up standing in the middle of her studio, but every time she begins to work, something interferes.

    A memory pops into her head; something...
    "Winner - Best Musical" Chameleon Theatre Circle's Tenth Annual New Play Contest!

    Bridget is trying to get started on her sculpture. A skylight illuminates a wire structure roughly the size of a very tall female with arms reaching up standing in the middle of her studio, but every time she begins to work, something interferes.

    A memory pops into her head; something one of her parents said makes her lose confidence; she gets a call about her daughter, Annie, ditching school again, or Richard, her husband, interrupts her to express his frustration with work. Then there’s the sexy painter down the hall, Jimmy, suggesting new possibilities and causing even more distraction.

    In the past, Bridget got caught up in using her art to express her feelings about the whole gender thing. There were the giant household appliances, the reptiles with human faces, the Medusa-like figure devouring the ram, but none of that work was taken seriously. Her plan now is to make a sculpture in the Classical style, of the wood nymph, Daphne, transformed into a tree by her father to protect her from the advances of Apollo. Annie still thinks this one is about being angry at men and wonders how her mother can make something beautiful when she’s angry.

    Length: 120 Minutes
    18 numbers
    5M and 5W
    Set Requirements: Single Set with Multiple levels. Props and set pieces determine locations.