Gilles Chiasson
Encyclopedia
Gilles Chiasson is an American producer, director, composer, writer and actor. While he first came to prominence as an actor, particularly in the original cast of the Tony Award
and Pulitzer Prize
winning RENT
, Chiasson now focuses on film and television development. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California
, with his wife Sherri Parker Lee and their two sons.
. His parents are Dr. Tony Chiasson, a retired anesthesiologist, and Claire Chiasson, the founder and headmistress of Michigan Dunes Montessori
. Both are French Canadian
. He is the youngest of five children. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The School of Music at the University of Michigan
.
Soon after earning his BFA, Chiasson landed the role of the young idealist Marius in the National Tour of Les Misérables (musical)
. He followed this by portraying Jinx in the National Tour of Forever Plaid
. However, Chiasson may be best known as an original cast member of Jonathan Larson’s RENT
.
Chiasson took part in the original RENT workshop in 1994. (The only other Broadway cast members to do so were Anthony Rapp
and Daphne Rubin-Vega
.) He played multiple roles, including Squeegie Man and Steve, in the original Off-Broadway production at New York Theatre Workshop
the following year. The show’s creator, Jonathan Larson
, died suddenly the night before the Off-Broadway premiere, but the production carried on and became a hit. Chiasson received an Obie Award
as a member of the Off-Broadway cast. He reprised his multiple roles when RENT moved to Broadway in the spring of 1996. During his nearly two years in RENT on Broadway, Chiasson also played the lead roles of Mark and Roger.
Chiasson originated on Broadway the role of Armand St. Just in THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL
and Corporal William McEwen in The Civil War (musical)
. Both shows were nominated for the Tony Award
for Best Musical, and Chiasson received an Outer Critics Circle
Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for CIVIL WAR.
Chiasson theatre credits include many, many Off-Broadway and regional theatre productions, including the world premieres of Mike Reid’s A HOUSE DIVIDED at Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Joanne Lessener and Joshua Rosenbaum’s FERMAT’S LAST TANGO at the York Theatre
, and Elizabeth Swados
’ GROUNDHOG at Manhattan Theatre Club
.
Chiasson’s last appearance on Broadway was in the original cast of Baz Luhrmann’s production of La bohème
. He reprised his role when the show proceeded to Los Angeles
, a move which led to his second act in production and development.
FILM & TELEVISION
From 2005 - 2010 Chiasson was the Director of Development for Moresco Productions. In that time he worked closely with Bobby Moresco, winner of the 2005 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Crash (2005 film). Projects have included the television series The Black Donnellys
for NBC
and the adaptation of CRASH for Starz (TV channel). Chiasson has been integral to the evolution of several scripts, currently in development for both feature and television production. He is a Co-Producer of The Kings of Appletown
starring the Sprose twins
famous for their work on Disney Channel
’s Suite Life of Zach and Cody, and is slated to be a Co-Producer of CASTRO’S DAUGHTER, a feature in pre-production being co-written by Moresco and Pulitzer Prize
winning playwright Nilo Cruz
.
MUSIC
Chiasson wrote the music, lyrics and book of CHRYSALIS, an original musical that has been seen in workshops at the Alley Theatre
in Houston, the New York Theatre Workshop
and the Manhattan Theatre Club
. He also conceived and co-produced his debut solo CD Slow Down. He has been a guest soloist with the Dallas Symphony, the Philharmonia of the Nations, the Ann Arbor Symphony and the West Michigan Symphony.
ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS
Chiasson is the Managing Director and Moderator of The Actor’s Gym in Los Angeles, a weekly workshop for working professional writers and actors. Chiasson is a founder and current board member of the Adirondack Theatre Festival, a non-profit theatre in Glens Falls, New York
, established in 1995.
TELEVISION APPEARANCES
As an original cast member of RENT:
1996 Tony Awards
1997 Tony Awards
2008 Tony Awards
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
Late Show With David Letterman
1996 Democratic Convention
Good Morning America
20/20
As an original cast member of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL:
1998 Tony Awards (The Scarlet Pimpernel)
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The 1998 NBC All-Star Game
Half-Time Show
As an original cast member of Civil War:
1999 Tony Awards
1999 Drama Desk Awards
As an original cast member of Baz Luhrmann
’s La bohème
:
2003 Tony Awards
DISCOGRAPHY
RENT - The Original Broadway Cast Recording
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL - The Original Broadway Cast Recording
LA BOHÈME - The Original Broadway Cast Recording
FERMAT’S LAST TANGO - Original Cast Recording
SLOW DOWN – Slow Down Productions (CD Baby)
http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0157087/
http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=35211
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning RENT
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
, Chiasson now focuses on film and television development. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, with his wife Sherri Parker Lee and their two sons.
Early life
Chiasson was born in Muskegon, MichiganMuskegon, Michigan
Muskegon is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,401. The city is the county seat of Muskegon County...
. His parents are Dr. Tony Chiasson, a retired anesthesiologist, and Claire Chiasson, the founder and headmistress of Michigan Dunes Montessori
Montessori method
Montessori education is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori. Montessori education is practiced in an estimated 20,000 schools worldwide, serving children from birth to eighteen years old.-Overview:...
. Both are French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...
. He is the youngest of five children. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The School of Music at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
Career
THEATRESoon after earning his BFA, Chiasson landed the role of the young idealist Marius in the National Tour of Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
. He followed this by portraying Jinx in the National Tour of Forever Plaid
Forever Plaid
Forever Plaid is an off-Broadway musical revue written by Stuart Ross in New York in 1990 and now performed internationally. The show is a revue of the close-harmony "guy groups" that reached the height of their popularity during the 1950s. Personifying the clean-cut genre are the Plaids...
. However, Chiasson may be best known as an original cast member of Jonathan Larson’s RENT
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...
.
Chiasson took part in the original RENT workshop in 1994. (The only other Broadway cast members to do so were Anthony Rapp
Anthony Rapp
Anthony Deane Rapp is an American stage and film actor and singer best known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of Rent in 1996 and later for reprising the role in the film version and the Broadway Tour of Rent in 2009...
and Daphne Rubin-Vega
Daphne Rubin-Vega
Daphne Rubin-Vega is a dancer, singer, and actress. She is best known for originating the role of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical Rent, and the role of Lucy, in the Off-Broadway play Jack Goes Boating.-Biography:Rubin-Vega was born in Panama City, Panama, the daughter of Daphine Vega, a...
.) He played multiple roles, including Squeegie Man and Steve, in the original Off-Broadway production at New York Theatre Workshop
New York Theatre Workshop
__notoc__New York Theatre Workshop is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it houses a 198-seat theatre for its mainstage productions, and a...
the following year. The show’s creator, Jonathan Larson
Jonathan Larson
Jonathan Larson was an American composer and playwright noted for the serious social issues of multiculturalism, addiction, and homophobia explored in his work. Typical examples of his use of these themes are found in his works, Rent and tick, tick... BOOM!...
, died suddenly the night before the Off-Broadway premiere, but the production carried on and became a hit. Chiasson received an Obie Award
Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City...
as a member of the Off-Broadway cast. He reprised his multiple roles when RENT moved to Broadway in the spring of 1996. During his nearly two years in RENT on Broadway, Chiasson also played the lead roles of Mark and Roger.
Chiasson originated on Broadway the role of Armand St. Just in THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL
The Scarlet Pimpernel (musical)
The Scarlet Pimpernel is a musical with music by Frank Wildhorn and lyrics and book by Nan Knighton, based on the novel of the same name by Baroness Orczy. The show is set in England and France during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution...
and Corporal William McEwen in The Civil War (musical)
The Civil War (musical)
The Civil War is a musical written by Gregory Boyd and Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics by Jack Murphy and music by Wildhorn. The musical centers on the American Civil War, with the musical numbers portraying the war through Union, Confederate, and slave viewpoints. The musical was nominated for a Tony...
. Both shows were nominated for the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Musical, and Chiasson received an Outer Critics Circle
Outer Critics Circle Award
The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for CIVIL WAR.
Chiasson theatre credits include many, many Off-Broadway and regional theatre productions, including the world premieres of Mike Reid’s A HOUSE DIVIDED at Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Joanne Lessener and Joshua Rosenbaum’s FERMAT’S LAST TANGO at the York Theatre
York Theatre
The York Theatre is an Off-Broadway theatre at 619 Lexington Avenue at the corner of 54th Street in the East Midtown section of Manhattan, New York City. It is dedicated to the production of new musicals and concert productions of forgotten musicals from the past. Each season consists of three or...
, and Elizabeth Swados
Elizabeth Swados
Elizabeth Swados is an American writer, composer, musician, and theatre director. While some of her subject matter is humorous, such as her satirical look at Ronald Reagan, Rap Master Ronnie, and Doonesbury - both collaborations with Garry Trudeau - much of her work deals with dark issues such as...
’ GROUNDHOG at Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
.
Chiasson’s last appearance on Broadway was in the original cast of Baz Luhrmann’s production of La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
. He reprised his role when the show proceeded to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, a move which led to his second act in production and development.
FILM & TELEVISION
From 2005 - 2010 Chiasson was the Director of Development for Moresco Productions. In that time he worked closely with Bobby Moresco, winner of the 2005 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Crash (2005 film). Projects have included the television series The Black Donnellys
The Black Donnellys
The Black Donnellys is an American television drama that debuted on NBC on February 26, 2007 and last aired on April 2, 2007. Thereafter, NBC began releasing new episodes weekly on until the series was officially canceled. The Black Donnellys was created by Paul Haggis and Robert Moresco...
for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and the adaptation of CRASH for Starz (TV channel). Chiasson has been integral to the evolution of several scripts, currently in development for both feature and television production. He is a Co-Producer of The Kings of Appletown
The Kings of Appletown
The Kings of Appletown is the name of a 2009 Dramedy/adventure film starring twins Dylan and Cole Sprouse, written by Amanda Moresco, directed by Robert Moresco, and produced by Moresco Productions in association with Oak Films...
starring the Sprose twins
Dylan and Cole Sprouse
Dylan Thomas Sprouse and Cole Mitchell Sprouse are American actors. They are twins and are collectively referred to as Dylan and Cole Sprouse or the Sprouse Bros. Their first prominent major theatrical film role was in Big Daddy, where they starred alongside Adam Sandler...
famous for their work on Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
’s Suite Life of Zach and Cody, and is slated to be a Co-Producer of CASTRO’S DAUGHTER, a feature in pre-production being co-written by Moresco and Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winning playwright Nilo Cruz
Nilo Cruz
Nilo Cruz is an Cuban-American playwright and pedagogue. With his award of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play, Anna in the Tropics, he became the first Latino so honored.-Early years:...
.
MUSIC
Chiasson wrote the music, lyrics and book of CHRYSALIS, an original musical that has been seen in workshops at the Alley Theatre
Alley Theatre
The Alley Theatre is a Tony Award-winning indoor theatre in Downtown Houston, Texas, and hosts two stages. The "Hubbard" is the main stage with seating for 824; the more intimate "Neuhaus" seats 310. Nine towers and open-air terraces give the Alley Theatre a castle-like quality. Inside, a staircase...
in Houston, the New York Theatre Workshop
New York Theatre Workshop
__notoc__New York Theatre Workshop is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it houses a 198-seat theatre for its mainstage productions, and a...
and the Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
. He also conceived and co-produced his debut solo CD Slow Down. He has been a guest soloist with the Dallas Symphony, the Philharmonia of the Nations, the Ann Arbor Symphony and the West Michigan Symphony.
ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS
Chiasson is the Managing Director and Moderator of The Actor’s Gym in Los Angeles, a weekly workshop for working professional writers and actors. Chiasson is a founder and current board member of the Adirondack Theatre Festival, a non-profit theatre in Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States. Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census...
, established in 1995.
TELEVISION APPEARANCES
As an original cast member of RENT:
1996 Tony Awards
1997 Tony Awards
2008 Tony Awards
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
Late Show With David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
1996 Democratic Convention
Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
20/20
As an original cast member of THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL:
1998 Tony Awards (The Scarlet Pimpernel)
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
The Rosie O'Donnell Show is an Emmy Award-winning American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002...
The 1998 NBC All-Star Game
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
Half-Time Show
As an original cast member of Civil War:
1999 Tony Awards
1999 Drama Desk Awards
As an original cast member of Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann
Mark Anthony "Baz" Luhrmann is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for The Red Curtain Trilogy, which includes his films Strictly Ballroom, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!...
’s La bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
:
2003 Tony Awards
DISCOGRAPHY
RENT - The Original Broadway Cast Recording
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL - The Original Broadway Cast Recording
LA BOHÈME - The Original Broadway Cast Recording
FERMAT’S LAST TANGO - Original Cast Recording
SLOW DOWN – Slow Down Productions (CD Baby)
http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0157087/
http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=35211