ARTIST STATEMENT
The Artistic Process of
Chris Garcia Peak
I create theatre that pulls you in — work that’s alive in the senses, charged with heightened theatricality, and grounded in a visual language I call fantastical realism. I’m drawn to the moments when characters reach a breaking point, when the stakes are deeply human but expressed through a heightened, stylized lens. For me, theatre is a shared space where artists and audiences can come together, question what they believe, and maybe see themselves in a new way.
I work in two main modes: reimagining classics and building original pieces from scratch. In both, I start with curiosity — What did this story mean when it was first told? Why does it matter now? — and let that guide me toward something fresh, unexpected, and rooted in the now. I’m especially drawn to fantastical stories and fairy tales, reframed through a contemporary, post-modern point of view.
In 2009, I founded Cock and Bull Arts in Chicago to explore identity, sexuality, and psychology through bold, experimental theatre. Since then, I’ve collaborated with a devoted group of artists to create immersive, sensory-driven work: from adapting Ibsen’s Ghosts into the site-specific Lecherous Honey in a historic lakefront mansion, to staging an original, multimedia voyage through psychology and medicine, to launching Sessions, a virtual arts festival that brought together artists from around the world during the pandemic.
I love breaking form — mixing live performance with puppetry, music, design, and even gamified storytelling, like our choose-your-own-adventure piece The Octopus- which reached over 16,000 players worldwide. I’ve also worked with student ensembles, most recently creating The Boy Who Hates Everything, a Theatre for Young Audiences musical that won the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival’s national award for Outstanding Devised Play.
At the core of all my work is the belief that theatre should spark connection — between story and audience, between strangers in the dark, and between cultures across distance. I want to keep pushing my craft forward, building work that invites people in, surprises them, and leaves them with something they can’t quite shake.
Read Chris’s original plays, monologues, and devised scripts on New Play Exchange.
Lecherous Honey photo by Rebecca Memoli Directed by Chris Garcia Peak, Gunder Mansion, Chicago, IL
Artistic Focus and Leadership Philosophy
My current artistic focus centers on creating and sustaining environments where meaningful collaboration can thrive. I remain deeply invested in experimental storytelling, devised processes, and immersive work, but my attention has expanded to include the structures, relationships, and cultures that make bold artistic work possible.
I am especially interested in how space shapes creative expression, whether that space is architectural, institutional, or interpersonal. I approach leadership as an extension of artistic practice, rooted in listening, clarity, and care. For me, strong leadership means building trust, supporting risk-taking, and balancing artistic ambition with sustainability. It is about making choices that honor both the work and the people creating it.
As an educator and arts leader, I am committed to mentoring artists across backgrounds, disciplines, and career stages. I value rehearsal rooms and institutions that are inclusive, rigorous, and generous, places where artists feel supported to explore, question, and develop their own voices. My goal is to contribute to artistic communities that prioritize collaboration, curiosity, and integrity, and where experimentation is strengthened by thoughtful structure rather than constrained by it.
Fans of devised theatre should flock to this experimental, creative and visually intriguing production at the Chopin Theatre- Chicago Stage Standard
