New Faculty Profiles

Jason Chanos

Assistant professor of theatre, Seaver College

Jason Chanos has taught at Pepperdine University for the past two years as a visiting professor and now joins the faculty full time with nothing but admiration for the student body he has come to know already. "[These past two years] have been the most satisfying time of life," he says. "I love my subject and nothing makes me happier than sharing that enthusiasm with students who share it with me. Everyone I've worked with has been hard-working, respectful, remarkable individuals."

Last year, Chanos directed a production of Samuel Godot's surreal tragicomedy Waiting for Godot, channeling his current interest in, he says, playwrights who require a heightened style of performance. He adds, "They tend to be very challenging, are rarely produced, and require extraordinary acting technique. However, when done well, they are spectacular to watch."

Chanos earned his bachelor's degree in theatre arts from the University of Northern Colorado, before moving to Kansas City to earn his master's of fine arts degree in theatre arts from the University of Missouri. He has taught theatre at performing arts schools across the country, performed in numerous plays, television shows, and commercials.

We ask: What play or production would you most like to stage here at Pepperdine?
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. It's my favorite play. It's also the play I saw in high school that made me want to be an actor.