ABOUT
Chris McCreary is an actor, writer, director, and educator who has worked throughout the United States including Los Angeles, Dallas, New York City, Iowa City, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and now Sewanee, TN. Through multiple mediums his work focuses on being of service through story.
Chris holds an MFA in Directing from Brooklyn College; as well as a BFA in Theatre Studies from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. While working in Dallas the theatre company he co-founded House Party Theatre won "Best New Theatre Company 2015". He is a graduate of the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles ('14). He received the 2011 Garland Wright Award for Directing from SMU. He currently lives in Sewanee, TN with his wife and four pets.
ARTIST STATEMENT
My work enables people who otherwise would never cross paths to come to a space and share an experience together. This shared experience immediately provides tangible common ground and makes it harder for people to cut themselves off from one another while also challenging the systems and structures designed to keep us apart. In every discipline my work strives to entertain while raising thought-provoking and emotionally charged questions about our place in the world and our connection and responsibilities to one another as humans.
I believe it is an artist's job to be of service. Like running water or internet access, I believe art is a utility essential for human life to exist and prosper. Artists use their inherent talents and practiced craft to provide opportunities for communities to face themselves, to understand the evils of the world, to appreciate the good in ourselves and one another. My goal in all artistic pursuits is to underline that life is worth living and we are worth loving.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
While doom scrolling, dog whistles, and bottom lines push us further into isolation, I believe education — especially arts education — serves as an inoculation against despair. If art holds up a mirror to society, arts education builds the muscle to bear the weight of that mirror. To mix metaphors: educators are ferrymen, guiding students across the river from “students-in-school” to “students-in-life.” Our responsibility is to support and challenge them as they grow, question themselves, question authority, and even question the syllabus. Then, we get out of their way.
My educational practice is grounded in ensemble building and accessibility. I strive to break the ice, co-create a shared vocabulary for each room, and validate the space each student takes up — celebrating failure as part of the learning process. I adapt the curriculum to reflect the lived experience, strengths, and needs of the individuals in the room: whether it’s changing classrooms to accommodate access needs, inviting multilingual students to perform in their native language, or helping an initially shy student find freedom through voice work. I believe the distance a student travels in class is directly proportional to the strength of the ensemble around them.
My classes integrate ensemble-building practices from Viola Spolin, Rose Bonczek and Michael Flanagan, and the Upright Citizens Brigade; acting techniques from Stanislavski, Uta Hagen, and Declan Donnellan; and approaches from solo performance, screen acting, and stand-up comedy. Through text analysis, scene study, and rehearsal processes — from individual scenes to full productions — students experience a wide range of artistic roles and become essential members of a functioning ensemble. When a healthy group dynamic is established, I find individual growth accelerates, empowering students to celebrate both their individuality and their connection to a greater whole.
I am particularly drawn to the work of Antonin Artaud and his Theatre of Cruelty, as well as Eugene Ionesco’s contributions to Theatre of the Absurd, both of which critique the breakdown of communication — which, to me, has never felt more relevant. I also find Bertolt Brecht’s Epic Theatre to be a powerful way of using theatre and live performance to directly engage with challenging social and political issues in both entertaining and subversive ways. During my time working with the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Center at Sewanee, I have witnessed how artistic programming can be an effective tool for addressing these issues, including racism, classism, and individualism. This aligns closely with the dialogue-driven work of Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, which has also profoundly influenced my approach to teaching and performance. I find modern evidence of these artists’ influence in the works of Jen Silverman, Young Jean Lee, and most recently Eboni Booth’s new play Primary Trust. Additionally, I draw inspiration from educators and artists such as bell hooks, Suzan-Lori Parks, Sarah Ruhl, Taylor Mac, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, and Dr. Cornel West, whose work supports my mission to help students imagine new ways of thinking and living together — enabling them to look toward the future with renewed hope.