Theatre Soon after earning his BFA, Chiasson landed the role of the young idealist Marius in the National Tour of
Les Misérables (musical). He followed this by portraying Jinx in the National Tour of
Forever Plaid. However, Chiasson may be best known as an original cast member of Jonathan Larson's
RENT. Chiasson took part in the original RENT workshop in 1994. (The only other Broadway cast members to do so were
Anthony Rapp and
Daphne Rubin-Vega.) He played multiple roles, including Squeegie Man and Steve, in the original Off-Broadway production at
New York Theatre Workshop the following year. The show's creator,
Jonathan Larson, died suddenly the night before the
Off-Broadway premiere, but the production carried on and became a hit. Chiasson received an
Obie Award as a member of the Off-Broadway cast. He reprised his multiple roles when RENT moved to Broadway in the spring of 1996. During his nearly two years in RENT on Broadway, Chiasson also played the lead roles of Mark and Roger. Chiasson originated on Broadway the role of Armand St. Just in
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL and Corporal William McEwen in
The Civil War (musical). Both shows were nominated for the
Tony Award for Best Musical, and Chiasson received an
Outer Critics Circle Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for
The Civil War (musical). Chiasson theatre credits include many, many Off-Broadway and regional theatre productions, including the world premieres of the
Mike Reid musical,
A House Divided at
Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Joanne Lessener and Joshua Rosenbaum's ''
Fermat's Last Tango'' at the
York Theatre, and
Elizabeth Swados’ GROUNDHOG at
Manhattan Theatre Club. Chiasson's last appearance on Broadway was in the original cast of Baz Luhrmann's production of
La bohème. He reprised his role when the show proceeded to
Los Angeles, a move which led to his second act in production and development. Chiasson has worked as a freelance director, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. His productions include Way of the Wiseguy (Chicago Center for the Performing Arts), I'm Sorry (The Lounge Theatre, LA;
New York International Fringe Festival,
Into the Woods and Heading Home (Performing Arts Education Centers). Chiasson went on to serve as Producing Director of LA's
Reprise Theatre Company, alongside artistic director,
Jason Alexander, during their 2010-11 and 2011-12 Seasons. The company received 17
Ovation Awards nominations for Chiasson's inaugural season as Producing Director, the most of any theatre company in Southern California, ultimately winning the Ovation for Best Production of a Musical for their revival of Cole Porter's
Kiss Me, Kate (musical) as well as a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for their production of
Cabaret (musical) during their 2011–12 season. During his tenure at Reprise, Chiasson presented acclaimed artists such as
Barry Manilow,
Barbara Cook,
Patti LuPone,
Betty Buckley,
Ray Romano,
Martin Short,
Seth Rudetsky and
Sutton Foster in concert in venues throughout Los Angeles including the
Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills and UCLA's
Royce Hall. From there, Chiasson went on to head up the LVUSD Beacon for the Arts Fund and serve as Director of Theater Operations of The Performing Arts Education Centers (the PAECs) located in
Calabasas and
Agoura Hills, CA. These two state-of-the-art theater complexes consist of two buildings in two locations, each having a 650+ seat Mainstage, a 100-seat Black Box, professionally equipped scene and costume shop, and all requisite support spaces.
Film and television From 2005 - 2010 Chiasson was the Director of Development for Moresco Productions. In that time he worked closely with
Bobby Moresco, winner of the 2005
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for
Crash (2004 film). Projects have included the television series
The Black Donnellys for
NBC and the adaptation of CRASH for
Starz (TV channel). Chiasson has been integral to the evolution of several scripts, currently in development for both feature and television production. He is a Co-Producer of
The Kings of Appletown starring the
Sprouse twins famous for their work on
Disney Channel’s
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
Music Chiasson wrote the music, lyrics and book of CHRYSALIS, an original musical that has been seen in workshops at the
Alley Theatre in Houston, the
New York Theatre Workshop and the
Manhattan Theatre Club and premiered at the
Adirondack Theatre Festival. His other musicals include FISHWRAP, co-conceived with Bill Castellino (
Adirondack Theater Festival), MAPS and the movie musical MOVE AHEAD, with David Hilder (RAW Impressions NYC), and NOW BOARDING (Performing Arts Education Centers). Chiasson conceived and co-produced his debut solo CD Slow Down. He has been a guest soloist with the
Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO), the Philharmonia of the Nations, the
Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra (A2SO), and the
West Michigan Symphony Orchestra, which allowed him to perform in his hometown theatre where he first took to the stage, The
Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts. Chiasson co-wrote “Hands Holding Hands” with Nashville songwriter, Chris Roberts, famed for
One Flew South, which premiered in BRAVE NEW WORLD, American Theatre Responds to 9/11, at
The Town Hall (New York City) and received radio play across the U.S.A. Their song, “Sweet Mystery”, appears on LML Music In Good Company.
Education Chiasson currently served as Theatre Director, Theatre Department Chair and Educator at Valley International Preparatory High School in
Northridge, Los Angeles, California, from 2020 to 2024 where he taught three levels of acting, stage tech, and dramatic writing, in addition to running the theatre department which entailed producing and directing three productions each year. Having left the classroom at the end of 2024, Chiasson now works as Facility Use Manager for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District where he oversees 13 different sites in the cities of Santa Monica and Malibu, which include 4 proscenium theaters including the historic Barnum Hall in the heart of the City of Santa Monica on the campus of Santa Monica High School. ==Entertainment business==