Chris Fields

Chris Fields is an artistic director, producer, director, teacher, actor, and Zen practitioner living in Los Angeles. He founded and is the artistic director of the Echo Theater Company in Los Angeles, where he has produced over a hundred premiere productions. As a director and producer, he has won Ovation, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, LA Weekly, and Stage Raw awards. He also founded and was artistic director of the Ojai Playwrights Conference. He began teaching in 1988 as an adjunct at the conservatory at the State University of New York Purchase and has had thousands of students since.

As an actor, he has appeared on Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally, and in many films and TV shows, working with many renowned directors and playwrights. He appeared on Broadway- Homefront, Off-Broadway- Machinal at The Public, Aristocrats at Manhattan Theater Club, Orphans with Steppenwolf, Regionally,- Golden Boy, All My Sons, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, 2, on Film,- Zodiac, Fight Club, Apollo 13, The Game, Jurassic Park, Alien3, Jacobs Ladder, and television- Sleeper Cell, ER, NYPD Blue, Boston Public, Ally MacBeal. He was also a member of the acting ensemble at The Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference under the direction of Lloyd Richards.

He began his Zen practice in 2008 at Great Dragon Mountain, Zen Center of Los Angeles. He received Jukai in 2010 and was given the name "Daian" – great peace. He is currently a co-steward of the ZCLA instructors’ circle.