James Rana

James Rana is an award winning writer-performer. He trained as a clown and juggler, beginning his career as a street performer. He received his MFA from Trinity Rep Conservatory. On Broadway, he was an original cast member of THE BAND’S VISIT, winner of 10 Tony awards, including Best Musical. His Off-Broadway, Regional, National and International credits include: The Royal Shakespeare Company, Red Bull Theater, The Shakespeare Theater Co., The Kennedy Center, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Ensemble Studio Theater, Pan Asian Rep, Worth Street Theater, East Lynne Theater, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Shakespeare & Co., Actors Shakespeare Company, Germany’s Bonn Biennale and the Globe Neuss, Toronto’s David Mirvish Theatre, Luna Stage, Princeton Rep, Porthouse Theatre, Ocean Professional Theater, Mystic Theater, Coney Island USA, and Comedysportz.

He starred in the award-winning short A Girl Like You with A Boy Like Me (Accolade Award). Other film and television appearances include guest-starring roles on “Law & Order:SVU,” “Madam Secretary,” “Chicago Fire,” “The 72nd Tony Awards,” “Third Watch,” “As The World Turns,” “One Life To Live,” “Good Day NY,” The War Within, The Assassin, Swim Little Fish Swim, and sketch characters for “Conan O’Brien.”

He wrote and narrated the radio documentaries Poe: A Celebration and P.T. Barnum: Man of the People for NPR. He produced and hosted “Classically Absurd,” a four part original series, celebrating all that is funny in the world of classical music for HD Masterworks.

His stage plays A Year in the Trenches and The Poe Mysteries received their world premieres at the East Lynne Theater in Cape May, NJ. His sitcom pilot “HAS BEEN” was a semi-finalist for best pilot at the LA Comedy Short Film Festival and the Los Angeles Screenplay Competition. His screenplay Strays was a top finalist at the Bridge International Screenplay Competition and Back in the Box Script Competition. His one-act play So Long Pluto was produced by the Camino Real Playhouse’s International One Act Festival. His stage adaptations of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Zorro, and Huck Finn all received their world premieres at the East Lynne Theater in Cape May, NJ.

James works frequently as a narrator and voice-actor. He is a member of Actors Equity, SAG-AFTRA, and The Players Club. For many years, he led the Coney Island U.S.A. Mermaid Parade as the stilt-walking Uncle Sam.