Picture of Christopher Slaughter

Christopher R. Slaughter

Title:

Chair, Department of Theatre / Associate Professor of Theatre

School:

College of Arts and Sciences

Office Location:

Bristol Campus: WA202

Office Phone:

423-652-4800

Email:




"I think there is no world without theatre." -- Edward Bond

 

Biography

Following my graduate work, I moved from Memphis, Tennessee to Westfield, Massachusetts where I worked for over a decade as a theatre and speech educator at Westfield University. I returned to the Tri-Cities area in 2007, and have since been teaching scenic design, lighting design, sound design, stagecraft, theatre management, radio theatre performance, and theatre history for the Theatre Department at King University. I also serve as the artistic director for Bristol's Twin City Radio Theatre.

I am a Bristol native and have directed, designed and built scenery, designed and run lights and sound, and performed as an actor and musician for a number of regional arts organizations and venues, including The Bristol Ballet, Virginia Intermont College, The Paramount Center for the Arts, and Theatre Bristol. I have also worked as a designer and/or technician-scenic artist for The Playhouse on the Square (Memphis, Tennessee), Theatre Memphis, Opera Memphis, The Sword of Peace (Snow Camp, North Carolina), The Greenbrier Valley Theatre (Lewisburg, West Virginia), The Miniature Theatre of Chester (Chester, Massachusetts) and other professional and amateur theatres and playhouses on the East Coast.

While studying at the University of Memphis, I was awarded three years in a row (1993-1995) a Memphis Arts Council award for "excellence in scenic design" for For Our ChildrenVinegar TomSix Degrees of Separation, and Something's Afoot.

I am constantly pursuing new techniques and technologies in stagecraft, lighting and sound that can be integrated into my design work and classrooms. I also have a strong interest in performing objects (puppets, masks, etc.) and their diverse performance applications.

Radio Theatre has been a life-long love, and it has been rewarding to be able to bring this nearly forgotten genre to new generations of theatre-goers at King University and in the Tri-Cities community. The Twin City Radio Theatre has recently performed at King's Fine Arts Theatre, Theatre Bristol's ArtSpace, Bristol's Grindhouse, The First Prebyterian Church in Bristol, TN, and annual AARP meetings at The First Baptist Church in Bristol, VA. 



Education

  • MFA in Theatre Arts, University of Memphis
  • BA in Theatre Arts, Virginia Intermont College

Recent Publications and Presentations

A Haunted Houseful, King University, 2015 (The Twin City Radio Theatre): Director, Lighting Designer, Sound Designer, Sound Engineer, Technical Director, Publicity Design

God of Carnage (Dir: Liz Dollar), King University, 2014: Scene Designer, Lighting Designer, Sound Designer, Technical Director, Charge Artist, Publicity Design

Tale of the Mandarin Ducks (Dir: Liz Dollar), Paramount Center for the Arts, 2014: Scene Designer, Sound Designer, Technical Director, Puppet Design and Construction, Charge Artist, Publicity Design

The Hitchhiker and Other Chilling Tales, Theatre Bristol ArtSpace, 2013 (The Twin City Radio Theatre): Director, Lighting Designer, Sound Designer, Sound Engineer, Technical Director, Publicity Design

The Giant Rabbit, First Presbyterian Church/King University 50+ Breakfast, 2013 (The Twin City Radio Theatre): Director, Technical Director

How I Became A Pirate (Dir: Liz Dollar), Paramount Center for the Arts, 2013: Scene Designer, Technical Director, Charge Artist

A Twin City Radio Theatre Easter, King University 2013 (The Twin City Radio Theatre): Director, Scene Designer, Technical Director, Publicity Design

A Twin City Radio Theatre Christmas, King University, 2012 (The Twin City Radio Theatre): Director, Scene Designer, Technical Director, Publicity Design

The Crucible (Dir: Liz Dollar), Paramount Center for the Arts, 2012: Scene Designer, Sound Designer, Technical Director, Charge Artist , Publicity Design

Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales of Madness, King College and Bristol’s Grindhouse, 2012 (The Twin City Radio Theatre): Director, Scene Designer, Technical Director, Publicity Design

A Year With Frog and Toad (Dir: Liz Dollar), Paramount Center for the Arts, 2012: Scene Designer, Technical Director, Charge Artist

She Stoops to Conquer (Dir: Liz Dollar), King College, 2011: Scene Designer, Sound Designer, Technical Director, Charge Artist

Pippin (Dir: Liz Dollar), Paramount Center for the Arts, 2011: Scene Designer, Sound Designer, Technical Director, Charge Artist, Publicity Design


Current research

Edward Gordon Craig's School for the Art of Theatre (Florence, 1913-1915).

American Radio Theatre (1930-1980): Dramatic Literature, Theatrical Conventions and Performance Techniques.


Courses recently taught

THTR 1010 LECT Theatre Practicum: Acting I
THTR 1011 LECT Theatre Practicum: Acting II
THTR 1020 LECT Theatre Practicum: Technical
THTR 1021 LECT Theatre Practicum: Technical
THTR 1110 LECT Acting I: Fundamentals of Acting and Play Analysis
THTR 2000 LECT Introduction to Theatre
THTR 2220 LECT Introduction to Stagecraft and Scenic Design
THTR 2240 LECT Scenic Painting
THTR 2400 LECT Theatre Management
THTR 3012 LECT Theater History II
THTR 4910 LECT Theatre Capstone Project