He holds a PhD from Tufts University. He is the author of George Jean Nathan and the Making of Modern American Drama Criticism, British Aisles, and numerous articles and essays. He has been a theatre history consultant for The New Yorker, National Public Radio, and CBS. A former Fulbright Senior Scholar, he has lectured in Central Europe for the United States Information Agency. Professor Connolly is also the recipient of the Parliamentary Medal of the Czech Republic.