James E. Sligh Sr., 87, GSU's showman for 31 years

After putting on more than 150 theater productions over the course of a 31-year career at Georgia State University, Jim Sligh could justifiably claim that at least all of his corner of the world was a stage.

Mr. Sligh didn't just produce and direct this large body of work by the GSU Players. He often planned the set designs and the stage lighting as well, instructing the student crews how to carry out the details. And on more than a dozen occasions he took roles in the GSU shows himself -- for instance, playing the lead role, Elwood P. Dowd, in "Harvey."

"Jim's knowledge of theater history and productions was greater than anyone I know," said Vic Lambert, also an Atlanta theatrical director. "His directing skills were a pleasure to watch. He was one of the first directors to videotape rehearsals so that actors could see themselves as audiences would."

One former student actor, Jon Downs of Decatur, who later taught drama courses and directed student plays at Georgia Perimeter College, called Mr. Sligh a by-the-book director.

"Some directors think they haven't been creative if the script remains unchanged during rehearsals. They encourage actors to improvise with their lines. Jim was just the opposite. As a director, he stuck to what the playwright meant and allowed no ad-libbing," he said.

Mr. Sligh was just as exacting about staging, Mr. Downs said. "Jim gave precise instructions to actors on where to stand and just how much they could move. He never let them just wander around the stage."

James E. Sligh Sr., 87, of Stone Mountain died Thursday at Atlanta Medical Center of complications from an infection. A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Northside United Methodist Church, Atlanta. Cremation Society of Georgia is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in his memory be made to Children International, 2000 East Red Bridge Road, P.O. Box 219055, Kansas City MO 64121.

Mr. Sligh's interest in theater wasn't confined to the GSU campus. He regularly took in plays on Broadway and at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C. His was a familiar face in theater audiences around Atlanta. "Jim saw more theater here than anyone I know," Mr. Lambert said.

Mr. Sligh often attended opening nights and made a custom of bestowing a long-stemmed red rose on his favorite cast member, said an actress friend, Denise Hillis of Atlanta.

All that theatergoing was fodder for Mr. Sligh's critiques, delivered for years on GSU student-run WRAS radio and on GCTV.

Mr. Sligh also helped out the Little Theater of Savannah, directing three productions, including "Oklahoma," in the early 1980s when the theater company didn't have a staff director.

"Jim had a pleasant directorial style -- low-key and genial -- not at all like the blustery directors you often see in movies about the theater," said a friend, Walt Kossel of Savannah.