James E. Butler -- is a screenwriter, playwright, and director from Nashville, TN. His work features characters navigating the emotional journeys of life through stylized settings and genre storytelling -- horror, thriller, fantasy, drama... the occasional musical -- but always infused with a touch of humor.

 

James developed his voice as a writer through Nashville’s talented (and welcoming) theater scene. His full-length play, Do We Know Each Other?, was performed as a staged reading with Street Theatre Company in 2014, followed by his short-form musical, The Intoxicated Travels of the Reverend Piano Man (Actors Bridge Ensemble, 2016), and the horror comedy, The Nightmarium Incident (ACT 1, 2019). His one-acts, Cognition and The Revitalization of Kristen Gale, were also produced by ACT 1. Additionally, Social Anxiety, which debuted at the Ten-Minute Playground in 2017 as a staged reading, also appeared in the Pittsburgh New Works Festival in 2021.

 

Now focused on expanding his storytelling into film and digital media, James develops original horror and thriller screenplays and short stories -- continuing to explore his fascination with flawed characters navigating the world around them and what it takes to survive both the ordinary and the extraordinary.