Photo by Jordan Fraker
Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Sykes.
Hi Chris, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My name is Chris Sykes. I started acting in professional live theatre when I was around fifteen years old. I performed competitively throughout high school on a local, state, and national level and had a lot of super-talented people around me to look up to back then. I found myself continuously inspired to push myself harder as a performance artist and to take greater risks as a character actor as the years have gone by because of these initial experiences. I chose to get an associate’s degree in acting at KD College after high school and began doing shows at local theatres around the metroplex immediately. I am currently a proud company member of the Ochre House Theatre, where we perform world-premiere scripts in the unique style of the “Suavant Garde.” We write original music and do a little bit of everything over there. It’s easily one of my favorite places to be/work. I am also the newest Lord Marshal, Master of Ceremonies, at Medieval Times Dallas as well as the Queen’s Lord Chancellor, depending on the day. A few years back, I joined “The Laugh Supper;” a hilarious professional improvisational group here in Dallas. After doing a few years of background voiceover work for funimation (now Crunchy Roll) I booked the role of Hachin in “Show By Rock!!! Mashumairesh!!!” and “Show By Rock!!! Stars!!!” right before the pandemic really started. It made for a relatively rocky start to my voiceover career, to say the least. I’m very grateful to have a handful of friends who know what they are doing and who keep me fresh and on my toes with all of this stuff. There’s so much to learn in the land of voice-overs and I look forward to seeing where it might take me down the road.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Y’know, I’ve always been a relatively laid-back person. I think that this quality has carried me through quite well, with everything considered. There have been many highs and lows over the years, as we all know. But I feel like I learned pretty quickly that it’s just the nature of this world, especially this business; Peaks and valleys, through and through. I realized early on that it was going to be a great challenge to make a living solely as a live performance artist. But I love it, so I lived pretty rough on my own for a few years there just to make sure I could keep doing what I loved.
If the role was right, I wouldn’t turn down an offer for film/commercial/tv work, but I can’t help but notice that the magic seems to spill out of the experience for me whenever there is a camera involved. Who knows? Maybe I just haven’t had the right experience yet. My heart just isn’t into camera work most of the time. I’ve noticed that it’s super taboo to be an actor who actively tries to avoid cameras. It’s to a point where I just have to be open about it. I specialize in high-intensity live performance, and I’m very much okay with that. Over the years, I think I’ve grown to love the shared and very palpable experience with a live audience too much. At this point, I basically live for those moments of grand connection that can only be felt in a room full of curious eyes and hearts. If I could get away with it, I’d probably perform live for my whole career. However, from what I can tell in this business, it’s not a very sustainable way to go about doing things. A guy can dream, right? There is just something so sacred about seeing and being a part of fresh, live theatre. The senses come fully alive. There is a certain pulse to it that can’t be matched. Words don’t really do the feeling justice.
At the end of the day, any struggles/challenges that I’ve run into in my life have become, in most cases, great opportunities for me to further hone/develop my skills as an artist, and as a person. I have been and will continue to be grateful for every single bump in the road, large or small.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an actor, singer, dancer, puppeteer, all-around performance artist. I specialize in live vocalized/physicalized character acting. I currently wear a few different hats. When I’m not performing, I am the lead production technician at the Lighthouse Artspace in downtown Dallas. We are known for our immersive projection mapping experiences (Van Gogh, King Tut, Monet, Frida Kahlo) as well as our high-quality guest services. I am responsible for loading in new shows every so often and then keeping everything running smoothly on a day-to-day basis. I recently closed a show at the Ochre House Theatre, where I am an active company member, called “St. Ella.” It was a dark-comedy deconstruction of “A Streetcar Named Desire” as well as “The Seagull.” It was an absolutely phenomenal run. Everything we do at the Ochre House is truly one-of-a-kind and you won’t find another theatre like it anywhere else. I’m honored to have performed in over ten world premieres at this theatre. I’m slated to perform in another undisclosed world premiere at the Ochre House at the start of next year, in February. Keep a lookout! For the past year or so, I have been performing as the Queen’s “Lord Chancellor” at Medieval Times. Within the last few months, I have been putting some intensive horseback training to the test as the castle’s newest “Lord Marshal,” King of Arms, Master of Cermonies. It has been an absolute joy to work so closely with the company’s talented performers/staff and stunning horses. To get the chance to perform on a horse, in front of thousands of people a week, hasn’t been so bad either.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/cdsykes
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eternalflowst8/
Photo by Matthew Elkins
