Currently Mr. Chappell is a Professor of Acting and Directing at Florida State University, head of the MFA Directing Program, and former Artistic Director of the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. He was also the Artistic Director of North Carolina’s The Lost Colony for twelve years. He has directed regionally at such theatres as the Kennedy Center, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Walnut Street Theatre and A.C.T. in Seattle.
His professional directing career include the original professional production of Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean with Fannie Flagg and Dana Ivey, and Anthony and Cleopatra with Jane Alexander. As an actor, he has appeared on Broadway and in regional theatre. He was the 1981 recipient of the Governor’s Honor Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts in Georgia, a member of Leadership Georgia and has served as a panelist and on-site observer for the NEA and the Florida Council for the Arts. He is a member of Actors Equity and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.
Directive Status: Master of Fine Arts