Performing

Chris Raven cut his teeth in Community Theatre in the 1980s, where he took an interest in mime, spontaneous improvisation, and mask work. His experience working with diverse communities led him to a career in health and social care.

 

After completing a two-year course in Performance Skills at Goldsmiths College in 1988, where he performed in David Taylor’s original play, ‘The Glory’, based on research and improvisation by the cast, Chris went on to Barnet College to study Community Theatre and Stage Craft in 1989, and was part of ACE Theatre Company, which was developed through Barnet College, and produced original performance work for the local community.

 

Chris went on to become assistant director and played a small role in the Lambeth Community Play', Two Cities by Tash Fairbanks in November 1989, which was produced by All Change Arts, and played at the Dick Shepherd School and the Oval House Theatre. Chris also operated sound and lights at the Oval in June 1989, for Loose Change Theatre’s production of Orchids in the Moonlight by Carlos Fuentes. He also played various roles in Outrageous Fortune’s production of Hamlet in 1990, which played at the Hackney Empire, The Brixton Assembly Rooms, The Shaw Theatre, and the Pentameters Theatre.

 

Following a lengthy career in Health and Social care, Chris returned to the theatre in 2015,and has performed in various amateur productions, mostly with The Matchbox Theatre in West Wickham, The Beckenham Theatre Centre, and the Bromley Little Theatre. Chris also has several credits for sound design at the matchbox and the Bromley Little Theatre and is a Trustee at The Beckenham Theatre Centre.

 

Since joining Bromley’s vibrant amateur theatre community in 2015, Chris has performed in various productions at The Matchbox Theatre in West Wickham, The Bromley Players, The Bromley Little Theatre and The Beckenham Theatre Centre. He is also often found backstage at the Matchbox and the Bromley Little Theatres, where he has several credits for sound design.

A consummate ensemble player, Chris is proud to have shared runner up 'Best Performance by an Actress in a Minor Role’ for Matchbox’s production in ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ in the Bromley Theatre Guild’s full-length play festival in 2016.

Chris was cast as the MC and took various other roles as part of the chorus and ensemble in the Bromley Player’s 2017 production of 'Made in Dagenham' at the Bob Hope Theatre in Eltham. This was Chris’ first experience of performing in musical theatre, and it is where he learned to 'move with purpose', as an alternative to actual dancing.

Having personal experience of domestic sock theft, Chris jumped at the chance to play Christopher in the Beckenham Theatre Centre’s 2018 production of Tribes, by Nina Raine.

This was followed later in the same year by his performance as the mucusly-challenged William Barfee, in the '25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee', and the dame in Beckenham Theatre’s production of 'Mother Goose'.

 

Chris played Richard Cauldfield in Agatha Christie’s family drama, 'A Daughters a Daughter' in April 2019, and both ‘a fellow’ and Sir Charles in Oliver Goldsmith’s, ‘She Stoops to Conquer’ at the Bromley Little Theatre in July 2019.

 

 

More recently, Chris played Sir Henry Carstairs in Belmont Production’s original production of ‘Understanding Susan’ by James Hay at the Churchill Studio Theatre in November 2019 and Widow Twinkie in Beckenham Theatre Centre’s production of Aladdin between December 2019 and January 2020.

Returning to his Community Theatre roots, Chris participated in Pride for All Ages’ production of, ‘Old and Out’, at the Tramshead Theatre in February 2020, as part of their LGBT History Month season. It was an original devised musical based on the experiences of the older (50+) LGBTQ+ performers.