Ph.D., Theatre History and Criticism, The University of Texas at Austin
MFA, Playwriting, The University of Texas at Austin
BA, Journalism, San Diego State University
Survey of Theatre
Theatre History I
Theatre History II
Playwriting
Acting II
Directing
Advanced Scene Study
Survey of Musical Theatre
Theatre History, Acting, Playwriting, Directing
Thomas J. Walsh is a Professor of Theatre at Texas Christian University (TCU), where he brings his passion for the theatre to courses in theatre history, acting, directing and playwriting. He balances his academic career with a vibrant family life, being married to his wife Kristine and a father to four children. His daughter, Anna, made a name for herself at TCU as well, excelling in volleyball and earning First Team All Big 12 honors before going on to play professionally in Spain.
Walsh’s influence extends beyond the classroom. As the Founding Artistic Director of the Trinity Shakespeare Festival (2009-2018), he received four Outstanding Direction awards from the Dallas Fort Worth Theatre Critics Forum. His scholarly contributions include the book Playwrights and Power: The Making of the Dramatists Guild, published by Smith and Kraus, and the award winning play The Thomas Paine Panther, published by Playwrights, Inc.
He has earned a Master of Fine Arts in Playwriting and a Ph.D. in Theatre History and Criticism from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied under the renowned Oscar Brockett, Walsh has significant work in both academic and creative writing. His solo play Pleading Infinity, about screenwriter Bob Donovan, has captivated audiences at prestigious events such as the New York International Fringe Festival, The Hollywood Fringe Festival, Austin’s FronteraFest, Dramatists Guild Reading Series, Chicago’s The Annoyance Theatre, and the Fort Worth Fringe Festival. Notably, the Dramatists Guild Reading Series production of Pleading Infinity was hailed as one of Dallas-Fort Worth’s top ten theatrical events of the year by criticalrant.com, and its Annoyance Theatre production earned five Broadway World-Chicago award nominations.
At TCU, Walsh’s original plays have also been showcased, including Melrose Stories, a character-driven comedy set in an LA bookstore; Born on a Sunday, an intense exploration of Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s 1896 “inferno crisis” in Paris; and Tom Kellogg in B Flat, a romantic comedy chronicling the adventures of its title character through four one-act plays set in the 1980s. Two monologues from Tom Kellogg are featured in Best Monologues of 2020, published by Smith and Kraus. For more information about his work, visit www.workwalsh.com or reach out to him at t.walsh@tcu.edu.
Founding Artistic Director of the Trinity Shakespeare Festival
Area of Research Interest: Authorship
Book: Playwrights and Power: The Making of the Dramatists Guild, Smith and Kraus, 2016
College of Fine Arts Dean’s Award for Research and Creativity
Nominated, Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Achievement as a Teacher Scholar
Four-time winner of Outstanding Direction as awarded by the Dallas Fort Worth Theatre Critics Forum
Pleading Infinity, a solo play, written and performed at the New York International Fringe Festival
Dramatists Guild of America
Shakespeare Theatre Association
