Chip the Actor.
I am a professional actor by trade, and manage to eke a semi-decent living doing so. In 1989 I made the choice to be a professional actor. A lot of my summers have been spent in Holland, Michigan, where I have frequently been a member of the acting company at the Hope Summer Repertory Theatre. For 15 seasons, HSRT has given me the opportunity to explore a variety of theatrical experiences. In 1995, HSRT premiered a new musical called CHAPS!, in which I got to create the role of Clive Cooper, a role I have reprised 5 times in 3 different theatres. It was the Tacoma Actors Guild production of CHAPS! which gave me the opportunity to join the Actor’s Equity Association in 1997.
In 2006, Joel Tanis, a Holland, MI artist and schoolmate of mine from Hope College, offered me the chance to create the role of Mr. Flabbinjaw, the curmudgeonly next-door neighbor in his children’s television program, Come On Over. It has aired for two seasons in Grand Rapids, MI and has hopes for national distribution.
Recently my travels have taken me to Milwaukee, WI where I co-arranged the vocals and created the role of Bogey in the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre production of Dogpark: The Musical, the third musical written by the same writing team for CHAPS!, Malcolm Hillgartner and Jahnna Beecham, and their writing partner, Michael J. Hume.
UPCOMING: I just got the call and will be celebrating my 16th season at Hope Summer Repertory Theatre, in Holland, MI. Roles include Gregory Wagner in Room Service, and Professor Bhaer in Little Women. Check out the Performance Calendar Page for dates (June-August).
