Joshua Borths is a nationally recognized stage director, educator, arts administrator, and writer currently serving as the Director of Opera Theatre at James Madison University and Company Dramaturg/Head of the Stage Directing Staff at Des Moines Metro Opera. 
 
Previously, Borths served as the Resident Scholar at Virginia Opera, Director of Opera & Musical Theater/Professor of Music History at Capital University, and Director of Education and Resident Stage Director at Arizona Opera. 
 
Known for his thoughtful and imaginative productions, Borths most recently directed an “uproariously funny new production” (Arizona Daily Star) of The Barber of Seville for Arizona Opera and a “beautiful, even poetic” (Opera Today) new production of The Falling and the Rising for Des Moines Metro Opera for the 2023/2024 opera season.  
 
Past favorite productions include Rusalka, Florencia en el Amazonas, Hansel and Gretel, The Tragedy of Carmen, Madama Butterfly, La clemenza di Tito, Suor Angelica, Dido & Aeneas, and L'elisir d'amore. As a stage director of musical theatre, Borths has directed Parade; Camelot; Kiss Me, Kate; and The Music Man, among others. Borths has also directed gala performances featuring Frederica von Stade and Joyce DiDonato and staged the southeastern premieres of Soldier Songs and La Hija de Rappaccini. 
 
As an assistant director, Borths has worked with many opera companies including Wolf Trap Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, and the Festival della Valle d'Itria in Martina Franca, Italy, and will soon assist on the world premiere of Damien Geter/Lila Palmer’s American Apollo.  
 
Beyond his directing credentials, Borths has hosted podcasts, written acclaimed surtitle translations, presented over 500 public lectures, and worked with illustrious artists including Jake Heggie, Gregory Spears, David T. Little, Jonathan Dove, novelist Thomas Mallon, and Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Jane Smiley. Borths regularly contributes opera features to Virginia Public Media. 
 
Beyond Capital University, Borths has taught at The University of Richmond, Shenandoah University, Crane School of Music (SUNY Potsdam), and The University of Maryland. Borths has also served as a panelist at the Opera America Conference, collaborated with TED Ed on their first opera resources, and was featured in Opera News for his innovative approach to opera education.  
 
Borths holds undergraduate degrees from the University of Michigan, and a master’s degree in Opera Production from Florida State University. For more information, visit OperaClassroom.com or his directing website.