Theatre Director
A Theatre Built on Three Continents
Chris Verrill has produced, directed and performed in over 100 shows on stage, TV and radio at a dozen different theatres on three continents. He specializes in shows that are first and foremost artistically beautiful, but also, and this is crucial for ticket sales, are popular with audiences.
He played a leadership role in bringing professional theatre to China in 2006 when he established Beijing Playhouse—China’s English language theatre. BP is the largest locally produced English theatre in the modern history of China. 100 cast and crew, from a dozen different countries, make Beijing Playhouse’s shows an ongoing success. The theatre produces such chestnuts as Oklahoma!, The Odd Couple, Guys and Dolls and A Christmas Carol.
As a member of the board of directors of the nonprofit Riverfront Playhouse, he augmented performance success, initiated telemarketing and direct mail fundraising activities, and launched Casting Card, an audition bulletin for all of the city’s arts organizations.
Verrill founded Redding Improv Players, a improvisation performance group. He coordinated classes and directed the first shows. The troupe performed to sold out crowds for 19 years.
As one of the founders of KDVS Radio Theatre, he produced, directed, wrote and acted in numerous radio theatre productions, some of which still broadcast today.
He launched Charity Readers Theatre as a way to improve professionalism and transparency in fundraising while allowing artists to give back to the community.
His theatre success story has been written up in numerous newspapers and magazines in both the US and China, including the Rotarian article seen here.
Children’s Education
As a childhood educator, Chris Verrill is particularly proud of establishing both the Northern California Sesame Street Preschool Education Program and Beijing Academy of Performing Arts, the first standalone theatre education program in China.
Northern California Sesame Street Preschool Education Program.
In the relatively low-income rural communities of Northern California, rife with single parent families and households where both parents must work, adequate childcare is a critical issue. Underpaid and poorly trained daycare providers compound the problem—resulting in children receiving inadequate care and supervision. Verrill felt he had to act, because if this problem was not addressed, it would affect the community for generations to come. One key solution is teaching early childhood development skills to daycare providers. In establishing the preschool education initiative, he directed the program, secured funding, hired and supervised the trainers, and as a teacher lectured on the value of early childhood education. The preschool education program trained daycare providers who have in turn used these skills to teach over 25,000 children. Future generations of children have a better start in life because of these efforts.
Over 25,000 children.
Beijing Academy of Performing Arts
Beijing Academy of Performing Arts, the first standalone performing arts education program in China, teaches children ages 6-14 the fundamentals of theatre.
Theatre camp culminates with the performance of a show on the last day. Typical theatre camps run for two to six weeks, Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 4 pm. Over the course of the theatre camp, students will rehearse for a show by having classes in acting, music, and dance. They will also participate in painting sets, making props, and designing costumes.
BAPA’s mission is educational. Theatre camp is more than a show at the end. It’s daily educational theatre games and exercises that make students have fun and look forward to the next day’s rehearsals. As Sesame Street research proves, children learn when they’re having fun. And they don’t even know it. It’s makes learning fun and magical. The show at the end is the framework for fun learning—not the ultimate goal. All students who audition get a role. The teamwork, artistic expression, and confidence-building the students learn during the camp are the life lessons learned, which stay with them for a lifetime.
With a proven track record of success, BAPA was the first group hired to teach theatre in China’s public schools.
First group hired to teach theatre in China’s public schools.
Original Script Development.
BeijingNew York
Commissioned full length ten person cast stage farce Beijing<->New York (think Fresh Off the Boat meets Noises Off) is currently receiving praise in workshops.