Eric Harrell, MFA

Bio

Professor Harrell has called Regent University his academic and artistic home for nearly twenty years. During this time, he has taught in all four Theatre degree programs (BA, BFA, MA, and MFA), and he directs annually during the Regent Theatre season. Administratively, he has served as Head of the MFA Acting Program, Artistic Director of Regent Theatre, and in his current role as Chair of the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts. In 2012, he founded Tidewater Stage, Regent’s professional summer theatre, and served as its Producing Artistic Director until 2019.

Outside Regent, Professor Harrell maintains an active profile as a professional actor, director, and vocal coach. He is a member of Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA, with professional credits in theatre, film, and television. As a theatre director, he enjoys working in contemporary literature, musical theatre, and Comedy of Manners. He teaches regularly with the Armed Services Arts Partnership, a nonprofit offering arts education for members of the Hampton Roads military community. He and his family are members of New Life Church, where he serves as an elder.

While Professor Harrell teaches a range of acting coursework, he serves primarily as a voice and movement specialist. Advocating a psycho-physical approach to the acting process, he draws from such contemporary methodologies as the Linklater and Alexander Techniques and the Lugering Method. He regularly teaches nationwide workshops in kinesthetic awareness for both professional and student actors. At Regent, he teaches a four-semester voice and movement studio for MFA actors as well as Scene Study: Practical Aesthetics, Advanced Scene Study: 20th Century Playwrights, Acting in Periods and Styles, and Basic Acting I and II.

Professor Harrell is a Texas native now living in Norfolk, VA with his wife and children.

Credentials

B.A. in Theatre Arts, Abilene Christian University

MFA in Acting, University of Nebraska-Lincoln/Nebraska Repertory Theatre

Additional training: Movement Theatre Studio (New York City), TVI Actors Studio (Los Angeles), Expressive Actor Teacher Training (University of Nevada-Las Vegas), Alexander Technique Residential Program (Ohio State University)

Creative Works

Actor (AEA), Dracula (“Jonathan Harker”), Virginia Stage Company, Norfolk, VA, 2024

Director, Two Gardens, Infinite Arts, Birmingham, UK, 2024

Director, Henry V, Jessup Theatre, Sacramento, CA, 2024

Director, Clue, Americana Theatre, Plymouth, MA, 2021

Actor (SAG), Spy in the FBI (“Mark Wauck”), New Dominion Pictures, Reelz Channel, 2021

Director, Boeing Boeing, Americana Theatre, Plymouth, MA, 2019

Director, 1619: When Destinies Collide, GVI Productions, Virginia Beach, VA, 2018

Director, Dial M for Murder, Tidewater Stage, Virginia Beach, VA, 2018

Director, The Telling Project, Virginia Arts Festival, Zeiders Theatre, Virginia Beach, VA, 2017

Actor (SAG), In-Lawfully Yours (“Jim Newford”), Home Theatre Films, Netflix, 2016

Actor (AEA), The Hampton Years (“Malcolm MacLean”), Virginia Stage Company, Norfolk, VA, 2016

Actor (SAG), Legends & Lies: Patriots, (“John Paulding”), Fox News Channel, 2015

Actor (AEA), All My Sons (“George Deever”), Virginia Stage Company, Norfolk, VA, 2015

Director, I Do! I Do!, Tidewater Stage, Virginia Beach, VA, 2015

Actor (AEA), The Nerd (“Rick Steadman”), Tidewater Stage, Virginia Beach, VA, 2015

Director, Pump Boys and Dinettes, Tidewater Stage, Virginia Beach, VA, 2014

Director, Forever Plaid, Tidewater Stage, Virginia Beach, VA, 2013

Actor (AEA), Barefoot in the Park (“Paul Bratter”), Tidewater Stage, Virginia Beach, VA, 2013

Actor (SAG), A Haunting (“Brian”), New Dominion Pictures, Discovery Channel, 2012

Playwright/Actor (AEA), An Inch of Rope, Water Tower Theatre, Dallas, TX, 2008

Actor (AEA), The Foreigner (“David Lee”), Tidewater Regional Repertory Theatre, Newport News, VA, 2008

Academic Presentations

“Testify: A Story Structure Seminar,” Infinite Arts, Birmingham, UK, 2024

“Quo Vadis: A Panel Discussion,” Southeastern Theatre Conference, 2019

“From Disparate to Indivisible: The Integration of Contemporary Actor Training,” Mid-America Theatre Conference, 2018

Actor-Dramatist’s Lab, Playwriting Symposium, Mid-America Theatre Conference, 2018

“The Actor’s Barre,” Virginia Theatre Association, 2017

“Kinesis: The Intersection of Intellect and Intuition,” South Carolina Theatre Association, 2016

“Thinking Knees and Laughing Fingers,” Virginia Theatre Association, 2015

“The Kinesthetic Actor: Integrating Mind, Breath and Body,” Southeastern Theatre Conference, 2014

Affiliations

Actors Equity Association

Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

Southeastern Theatre Conference

Virginia Theatre Association

Armed Services Arts Partnership

Virginia Public Works

Awards

Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, Regent University

Faculty Research Grant, Regent University

Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Direction, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival

Irene Ryan Nominee, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival