Emil Thomas

Background

About Emil Thomas

N.Emil Thomas is a southern gentleman with a New York attitude. Raised in a family of Puerto Rican New Yorkers in the quiet streets of Cobb County, GA. Emil learned early the value of time and space. His love for theatre began in middle school when he was first introduced to Musical Theatre. He continued to play on the stage in high school when he attended Cobb County School for Excellence in the Performing Arts. By the end of his sophomore year in high school Emil knew that he wanted to move from acting on stage to directing and so he traveled to Muncie, Indiana where he studied under the leadership of Karen Kessler at Ball State University as an undergrad directing student. In 2016, Emil was invited to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for directorial work in region With the support of his family, Emil reopens Marietta's Theatre in the Square with one goal in mind; To create theatre for the 21 century that is inclusive of all. In the fall of 2016, Emil reached out to graduating colleagues with an opportunity to create their own theatre company, at last, Actors Theatre of Georgia was born. Emil and his team have created seasons that embody theatre for all, from a Gender-Swapped Hamlet, to his adaption of O’Henry’s classic tale, The Gift of the Magi 2.0, set in Atlanta during the 1950’s Atlanta streetcar strike, he's directed the Southeast regional premieres of Carmen Rivera's La Gringa, Tanya Barfield's Bright Half Life, and Nambi E. Kelly’s Native Son which featured an appearance from Nambi herself and won Atlanta’s BroadwayWorld Best Play and Director for 2017. Emil's The Gift of the Magi 2.0 has been nominated for 5 Metropolitan Atlanta Theatre Awards. In summer 2018, Emil relocated to Chicago, IL to further develop his craft of directing.