Chris Bell

Scenic Designer

Chris used to shout with exuberant glee, “Theater is my Life!” when he was a kid doing plays at Santa Monica’s Lincoln Junior High in the late 70’s. His first black box theater experience was seeing Joe Egg at the Odyssey’s Bundy location. Out of high school he fabricated props and performed in the first Actors’ Gang show, Ubu The King. He received a theater scholarship to Stephens College in MO, and later participated in a multitude of original productions with The Actors’ Gang in Hollywood, becoming known for his elaborate fun houses at their benefit parties. Chris worked as set designer and technical director for many years at the Assistance League Playhouse with the historic Nine O’Clock Players, and created sets and special effects for The Grand Guignolers. He became resident set designer and technical director for the theater department at CalTech (TACIT), and now does sets for the High Street Arts Center in Moorpark. Since 2014 he has enjoyed coming to the Odyssey as a scenic artist. Also, there have been some design awards handed to him along the way.