Eric Colleary holds a Ph.D. in Theatre Historiography from the University of Minnesota. Prior to coming to The University of Texas at Austin, he was a visiting professor in Theatre and Dance at Macalester College in Saint Paul where he taught classes in theatre history, performance theory, sexuality studies, and public history/museum studies. He currently serves as co-chair of the American Theatre Archive Project (ATAP), and is co-chair of the communications committee for the Theatre Library Association (TLA). His article "A Queer Victorian Marriage: Henry Blake Fuller's At Saint Judas's and the 'Tyranny' of the Archival Document" was published in the journal Performing Arts Resources and he has had several reviews published in Lambda Literary, Theatre Survey and Theatre Journal.

In his position as Cline Curator of Theatre & Performing Arts at the Harry Ransom Center, Dr. Colleary is responsible for the interpretation and management of the center's extensive performing arts holdings. The collectors feature holdings in theater, playwrighting, dance, costume and scenic design, opera, and popular entertainments, such as circus, vaudeville, minstrel shows, puppetry and magic. Dr. Colleary co-curated the 2016 exhibition "Shakespeare in Print and Performance."