The Paris of the Panhandle – Visual Arts Student Spotlight

Christian Paris is in his final semester at Gulf Coast State College. Graduating this Fall with his Associate’s degree in Entertainment Technology, he is more than ready to get out into the world and spread his wings in the world of theatre production.

Right away you can sense that he has an air of theatre about him, no doubt aided by his last name. He told me that he sadly is not French, but he hopes that his surname would garner him a bit of respect if he were to travel to Paris someday.

This graphic belongs to Chelsea Spiers and Gulf Coast State College, 2019.

His future is right in front of him and he is already taking all of the necessary steps needed to start out on a successful road. Thanks to a visit to the Southeastern Theatre Conference a couple of months ago, Christian already has a job lined up for himself. The job is right in the heart of theatre land on Long Island, New York, and he couldn’t be more anxious to start. In fact, he is making his long pilgrimage North the day after his graduation on May 4^th.

No doubt that will be a very busy time for him and his family. He will be starting his internship with a professional carpentry company, and he will be working right alongside Broadway designers and technicians. There is a lot that needs to be done in the meantime to get ready for his 9-month long contract, but he has already started to work on the paperwork side of his job over Spring break. Christian is more than ready to get settled in his new position, including the process of making theatre connections up in New York.

This is especially important since the field Christian is going into is especially competitive, which is something that he was able to experience during his time at the theatre conference. During this conference there is an area devoted to a job fair, and you can skip the entire application process and move right into face to face interviews. Christian was able to interview with seventeen different companies all in one day, and despite the toll it took on him he is forever thankful for the opportunity to join his theatre department from GCSC there.

Out of all those interviews he only had 2 offers, and the job he accepted was from the company that would have been his first choice! It seems that Christian Paris really knows his stuff both in theatre and in the interview process. “I do a good interview” said Paris, who seemed very confident in his ability, and rightly so. He even went the extra mile and decided to put together a 2-hour long digital portfolio just for the conference. Not only that, but he put it together in his hotel room right before the job fair began. He can perform under pressure, which something that any theatre company would be anxious to have.

Confidence is key in most lines of work, but especially so in theatre production. And this kind of confidence can only come when someone has plenty of hands on experience in what they have been learning. This kind of experience comes from Christian’s time working with both the technical side of theatre, as well as the acting side. During his time at GCSC Christian has participated in every program that has been available to him, his latest one being the part of Senex in the upcoming play A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Christian says he loves this particular type of part, because he gets to play the type of character that is so different from himself. It makes it more challenging for sure, but that is the kind of challenge that he enjoys. Something that he is especially excited for is his costume, which he said makes him look a bit like Einstein. Being able to get into character is something that is necessary for an actor, and the times when you get to ad lib during some of the on-stage banter make the experience all the more enjoyable.

The average turn out for the theatre programs at GCSC is very good, and for the Spring musicals in particular, Christian is confident there will be a packed house. There are even going to be a few people from the production who will be appearing on a few different local news shows to help spread the word and raise awareness, which can only help the attendance rate. Christian not only knows the production and acting sides of theatre, but he has also played a part as stage manager for the first time this past October, to which he contributes a lot of his success. “I’ve been under some great stage manager, as well as some authoritarian types,” and it has helped him to learn to find his own method of management. This especially came in handy when he managed an all-female cast.

Christian was particularly proud that he caused no tears or hurt feelings. And just when I thought I had heard all bout Christian’s talents, I was informed that he is quite the singer, and even enjoys performing in cabarets. He hopes that he will be able to fill his down time with auditions and performances, which will go a long way into making a name for himself. It is a name that I am confident we will be hearing more of soon.

About The Author