My name is Chris Taylor. I was born in Edmonton AB, but grew up largely in Abbotsford BC, before moving to Kamloops BC with my finance, Veda. I am a current student at Thompson River University in Kamloops, BC Canada. I am a graduate of University of the Fraser Valley with a Bachelors of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. During my time there I had the many opportunities to work with many award winning theater instructors such as Raina Vanwaldenberg the Founder and Artistic Director of Center for Embodied Performance in New York City, and Ian Fenwick the founder of the Fraser Valley Directors Festival in Chilliwack BC. I have also had the opportunity to work closely with the local Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver theatre community having directed and performed in multiple shows for the local theatre scene including the Abby Theatre Fest, Emerging Directors Showcase, UFV Arts Festival, Harrison Arts Festival, and Gallery 7 Theatre.

In my professional capacity I have had the opportunity to work with many fine educational programs throughout my journey. I did my short term practicum at RLC Elementary in Kamloops BC in a Kindergarten classroom which I enjoyed immensely. More recently I have finished my certification practicum at Summit Elementary in a Grade 6/7 class. It has been a great challenge, but one that I have grown from and learnt a lot from in such a short time. I have also had the great fortune to work with my local church community in Abbotsford BC, which I attended and worked with for almost 10 years. While there I worked closely with their Church School Sunday program in which I aided in planning and teaching in classrooms every Sunday teaching lessons from the Bible and corresponding activities. I also worked every summer with their Vacation Bible School, in which I helped in a week long day camp where students had the chance to learn, play, and create. In addition to this I also helped run a church ministry series in which I would write and perform a short lesson in front of the congregation; my most popular being Professor Phil Aithful, a scientist who did mad science experiments and tied them to a biblical teaching.

In addition to this I’ve also had the opportunity to work with the local chapter of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters, where I helped mentor a student as well as did in school mentoring; in which I would have an hour with a student who was struggling in school to play games, do experiments, and generally make social connections. Finally I had the opportunity to work with the Abbotsford Community School, which created after school programs for low income and academically struggling students. There I created and taught a program that would help elementary students in reading and writing skills in alternative ways. This was a challenge as I had a few students who were functionally illiterate; but through their hard work we, as a group were able to create and perform our own rendition of Jack and the Beanstalk to a enthusiastic group of parents and students.

In addition to being a professionally trained thespian, I am also an avid video game, D&D, and board game player. As well as cat-dad to a fluffy black cat named Dahlia.