Eric Lane Barnes
Artistic Director
In January of 2000, Eric Lane Barnes was appointed assistant artistic director of Seattle Men's Chorus. Part of Eric's Seattle Men's Chorus duties include directing and writing for the vocal comedy group Captain Smartypants. Eric has been commissioned by various GALA choruses including Tucson's Desert Voices; One Voice Charlotte; Detroit Together Men's Chorus; Seattle Men's Chorus; Sound Circle; The Cincinnati Gay Men's Chorus; The Lexington Men's Chorus, New York City Gay Men's Chorus; The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C.; Singing Out! Toronto; Unison Lesbian and Gay Singers; the Windy City Gay Chorus and Turtle Creek Chorale.
Eric Lane Barnes is the author of the critically acclaimed Fairy Tales, which garnered two Jeff citations, three After Dark Awards, and three Bistro Awards. After its initial run in Chicago, Fairy Tales enjoyed successful runs in London and New York, and is finding legs among numerous regional theaters. He has written extensively for Chicago theater, including songs for Live Bait Theatrical’s Riders of the Purple Wage and music for the award-winning Freud, Dora and the Wolfman. Barnes has written numerous shows with Lifeline Theater, including The Amazing Bone, Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, Simple Jim and His Four Fabulous Friends and Scary Home Companion. Other works featuring Eric’s music and lyrics are Don Juan on Halsted; Queer Stories II; Death and Pancakes; Square Black Camera and Healthworks Theater’s Don’t Wait Until You See Me, which continues to tour. The Stops, Eric's newest show, was produced in 2003 in Seattle.
Impertinent Facts
Eric Lane Barnes enjoys dark chocolate, David Lynch, thunderstorms, and his husband Paul, sometimes all at once. Although his rational mind knows Narnia does not exist, he continues to check empty wardrobes just in case. Currently residing in the household shrine are luminaries Karen Carpenter, E. Nesbitt, Deborah Kerr and Guy Madison. While Barnes would never say he is a superstitious person, he is frequently seen tossing smelt over his left shoulder. His dog Andy is a purebred Knogue Terrier, the first and only dog of its kind in the world.
