//BIOGRAPHY
Gary Chason grew up in the theatre. He and his two sisters put on shows for family and friends virtually from the moment they could walk and talk. He studied classical ballet as a scholarship student at the Houston Ballet's academy under Madame Tatiana Semenova as well as vocal music, singing in the chorus of Tales of Hoffman for the Houston Grand Opera. He took up directing in college at the University of Texas and set his sights on being an avant garde, experimental Writer/Director. He created Houston Laboratory Theatre in 1970 and directed an innovative Romeo and Juliet that received excellent notices. He produced/directed a highly controversial production in 1975: The Beard , an erotic one-act staged at an art gallery in the Montrose District of Houston. He also directed two of his original plays at The Equinox Theater: Charlie's Ear , and Denizens .
He has had a distinguished career in motion pictures as a Casting Director and Dialog/Dialect Coach. His casting credits include: The Last Picture Show , Paper Moon , The Getaway , Pretty Baby , and Paris, Texas . He has worked with many A-List Directors, including: Robert Altman, Peter Bogdanovich, Sam Peckinpah, Michael Ritchie, Louis Malle, and Wim Wenders. As a Dialect Coach he has tutored people like Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Cloris Leachman, Brooke Shields, Tatum O'Neal, and Ann-Margret.
His first feature film as a Writer/Director, Charlie's Ear , was especially well received in European festivals. At Madrid it won Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Cinematography. And it won the Critic's Prize by unanimous vote at Mannheim. The film had a brief theatrical run in 1995.
His screenplays have won a Gold (for Succubus Crystal ) and a Bronze (for Faces of Stone ) at WorldFest Houston. WorldFest also awarded him a Gold for the music video, Women Are Smarter , and a Silver for the 35mm short, Ink on Paper . A 35mm feature he produced for another Houston filmmaker, The Trust , won a Special Mention.
He works regularly in the field of Corporate/Industrial video as a Writer/Producer/Director. His clients include: Shell, Service Corporation International, The Texas Young Lawyers Association, Total Video, and Hoefler Associates.
His recent work includes several short subjects: More Than Two Dollars (HD24P), God Thinks You're a Loser (35mm), Little Beauties (35mm), A Few Letters Off (DV), and pilot episodes for two half-hour TV series: From Nowheresville (DV) and Mama Icy's House (Beta SP). He is comfortable with the new HD format, having helmed HD: Houston Downtown for Total Video. Venturing into new territory, Chason started 2002 as Director of Photography for a DV horror short entitled Drain U , which has already received internet distribution.
He currently has several feature projects in development. Having always been involved in training actors for motion pictures and television, he has recently begun teaching Directing for Indie U, the training division of Indie Slate Magazine. Indie Slate will publish his first book, Acting for the Real World , later this year.