About Chris Blackwood

Chris Blackwood

Chris studied at the University of Kent at Canterbury, where he received a BA (Hons) in Drama and Theatre Studies. Alongside his acting and writing career, he worked as an Artistic Director in Connecticut, USA and resident director of Kent Summer Opera for five years.

His freelance work for the theatre continues to be prolific and presently he is writing a stage adaptation of Pride and Prejudice for IT&M as well as a sung through musical based on the Pied Piper called ‘Tails of Hamelin’. A number of projects are lined up such as a modern re-working of Cinderella and in discussion are various musical and non-musical adaptations of classic literature and plays.

Recently, "Around the World in Eighty Days", a pet project of his for quite some time, has been gaining great acclaim and Chris has been working on the IT&M musicals with many companies as a consultant offering direction advice and rehearsal workshops most recently in Holland and the North of England.

He has worked with Triple Act productions as writer for a new musical, "Robin and the 7 Hoods" which had a full scale workshop at the Leicester Square Theatre starring Hannah Waddingham, Teddy Kempner and Michael Praed and in the summer of 2014, his script for ‘Hoods’ with Lasso the Moon Productions had a full scale industry standard workshop at the Arts Theatre featuring many well known West End performers.

He is also working on the book and lyrics for a new musical called "Rising Sun" set against the Gallipoli campaign 1915 and has written the book for a new musical about the life of Dusty Springfield called 'Dusty' which had workshops in both The Arts and Leicester Square Theatre.

He was resident lyricist for Mikron Theatre for five years and has written and directed a number of shows for Warner Hotels.

As resident director for the Summer Opera in Kent, he directed five full scale operas from La Traviata to Benjamin Britten’s The Beggars’ Opera.

Chris has directed for numerous companies nationwide and in the USA, and continues to work as a freelance drama teacher and director, providing, amongst other things, workshops for on his IT&M musicals.

His Christmas plays and pantomimes have had a number of professional seasons in the North of England as well as his adaptation of a Bram Stoker ghost story, ‘The Coming of Abel Behenna’.

He is a partner in the theatre in education company, Quickfoot Live, and provides both scripts and direction for many school tours nationwide. He has won a number of National Training Awards for his work with corporate companies and writes for Cragrats, Speakeasy and Peel amongst others.

His work as an actor and singer has been varied from Shakespeare to Grand Opera and he has appeared in video training for a number of high profile companies in the UK also providing voiceover for Barclaycard and many animated shorts. He can be heard as the voice of Charles Dickens and Mr Fezziwig on the recording of "A Christmas Carol" and Inspector Fix on ‘Around the World in 80 Days’.

His plays and lyrics have been translated into many languages all over the world and continue to be performed to great acclaim.