A Message from Fiasco Conservatory Alum Chris Zou
Reflections on 2022 Fiasco Theater 9 Week Conservatory
Hey there,
My name is Christopher Zou and I studied with Fiasco Theater as part of their 9 Week Conservatory this past spring from March to May 2022. It was an exhilarating and inspiring time for me. After over a 3-year long secret love affair with acting, I left behind my career as a Film & Television Assistant Director in March 2022 in order to fully and openly pursue my growth as an actor and artist. I had been hungry for a full-time intensive acting program, with a high standard of training, a generous ensemble, and getting to do shows and put work on its feet. Fiasco filled that need and more. I am extremely grateful to have been taken in by Fiasco and taught in their ethos of joy, curiosity, and empowerment of the actor - and I strongly encourage anyone interested in the program to apply, you have nothing to lose!
During the 9WC, we had a full-time Monday to Friday schedule, 10am to 5pm at Houghton Hall, our own private haven in busy Midtown. I belonged to an amazing ensemble of 15. Our main acting classes (taught in alternating pairs of Fiasco Company members) consisted of Text Work, Scene Study/Monologues and the Fiasco Theater approach to Ensemble Rehearsal, which was a game-changer for me. We would focus on Contemporary text one day and Classical text the next. I found it very engaging to learn them side by side. We also had Voice, Dance, Yoga, and Clown 2x each week, which was such a gift, in addition to special topics classes in Artistic Ethos, Alexander Technique, and Fiasco AMAs (Ask Me Anything). In the final three weeks of the program, we were split into two groups to each work on a play and apply what we learned in the first six weeks. My group worked on Love’s Labour’s Lost while my other classmates did Romeo & Juliet, culminating in two performances (or final rehearsals, as we like to think of them at Fiasco) open to the public.
After Fiasco, I went to work on my first two professional plays this past summer. It was time to put my training to the test. From June to July, I was in Much Ado About Nothing at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, where I was an Acting Fellow and played the role of Conrade. We had a month-long rehearsal process and a month of performances. Right after closing night, I got in my car and drove 5 hours to Naples, NY to start rehearsal the next morning on a world premiere new play, It's A Small World (Or The Robot Play) at Bristol Valley Theater, where I played Adam, the main antagonist. That was a whirlwind 10-day rehearsal with 10 performances. Throughout the rehearsal process on both shows, I felt empowered and equipped to engage with the text, my acting partners, and my directors, even though I was a total newbie. At Fiasco, I never felt “less than,” and I took that mindset with me. The tools they equip early-career artists with and the mindset and confidence they help you build in the Conservatory are invaluable. I am determined to continue to carry the spirit of Fiasco into many more rehearsal rooms in the future. I am already excited for the next group of Conservatory students to experience this - welcome to the family!
Thank you,
Chris Zou