By Chris Chalk

I came to New York out of school weeks before September 11th, 2001. My ma was asking me to come home in her silences on the phone. I was depressed and jobless. I didn't leave my house for six months, "job searching on the internet". I worked at a hotel. 2 years. Booked a gig with the Keen Company doing the character Blossom whose eight lines were "Blossom" because it's the only English word the character knew. Loved it by the way! I was the only non-equity person in the cast. They made a little money but I made like $100 dollars for like eight weeks of work. In that moment, I was excited for the work but felt that non-equity was for the birds. I still didn't know how to get my card though. Time passed and I was invited to the LAB Summer Intensive and we read John Patrick Shanley's DEFIANCE, his brilliant play following DOUBT. I came home from the intensive hype and saw on Playbill that there was a reading of the play at Vassar as well and was like....."Oh, well I must've been super impressive since I'm not in that reading". Life continued into August when MTC asked me to do the DEFIANCE reading for producer folks at the theater, which paid me $50 for three hours (half of what I had made in my eight weeks as the non-equity Blossom) and a few weeks later the gig was mine. DEFIANCE by John Patrick Shanley, and directed by Doug Hughes, hooked me up with my Equity card. I have been a fan ever since.

CHRIS CHALK most recently starred as "Cory" in the Broadway revival of August Wilson's FENCES. His theatre credits includes the MTC production of Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play RUINED, directed by Kate Whoriskey; UNCONDITIONAL, directed by Mark Wing-Davey (LAByrinth Theater Company, Public Theater)l THE OVERWHELMING, director Max Stafford-Clark (Roundabout); DEFIANCE, director Douglas Hughes (MTC)l GEM OF THE OCEAN, director Timohty douglas; CHILDREN OF KERAKLES, director Peter Sellars; and THE HASTY HEART (Keen Company. Film and TV credits include: "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," :Law & Order: SVU," "Nurse Jackie," "Rescue Me," "Six Degrees," Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Then She Found Me and Rent. LAByrinth Theater Company member. Proud son of Celeste McClure.