I have had the pleasure of working with Chris and his capable team on many projects over the past years and would highly recommend their services to anyone looking for a unique and polished production. You simply will not find such affable professionals with their equipment and expertise. Not only have I seen him in action over my years at the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival, but also Mr. Bell and I worked on a truly unique piece of theatre - an outdoor strolling production of A Midsummer Night's Dream I directed at the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in 2013. Industrial Fright and Gadget installed a low profile distributed speaker system and special effects equipment that spanned the 1.7 acre property and was operated by remote control! Even when faced with the seemingly insurmountable challenges of that unconventional project, Mr. Bell never wavered and put together an auditory landscape that people haven’t stopped talking about. It made for a very magical and enchanting production and I get chills remembering it. I describe the art of theatre as the melding of creativity, innovation, and craftsmanship; and I would argue that Mr. Bell exhibits a rare talent for all three. He is as much a savvy technician as he is an ingenious innovator, and a well steeped coinsure of theatre arts. You would be hard-pressed to find a professional that is more patient and easy to work with. Mr. Bell’s work has been no less than a blessing to my personal exploits and to the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival.

Trent D. Stephens
Artistic Director for the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival
Drama Department of Trinity Christian Academy

Christopher Bell, owner of Industrial Fright has been a wonderful asset to our performance program, Keep Flippin' Gymnastics. We have been working together with this amazing, talented music and Tech Director for almost twenty years. His skills have provided our performance program with so many aspects of the music business that we would be lost without him! Chris not only helps us choose music, he also edits and produces sound effects for our Keep Flippin' Show Team as well as our huge performance for all of our students at the end of April. At that April show he provides many other visual effects as well, including screen gobo's, streamers, and confetti. He is always present at these shows to lend a hand. We cannot say enough about this incredible, professional and trustworthy business man. Anyone is welcome to call our gym so that we may sing the praises of Christopher Bell and his company!

Daryl Sue, President
Keep Flippin' Gymnastics, INC.
(561)-745-2511
Jupiter, FL http://keepflippin.com
 

I have observed Chris's many talents from the perspectives of director as well as a performer. Chris has served as my Sound Designer and Audio Engineer for EVERY show I have directed since 1995, including The Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, The Winter's Tale, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, The Comedy of Errors, and Hamlet; he has designed and executed lighting plots for nearly impossible works such as Samuel Beckett's Play, which required the frenetic operation of an Intelligent light fixture (he never missed a single cue and there were over four hundred in less than twenty minutes!); he has been instrumental in designing, building, and incorporating into many productions what I've come to refer to as "Chris's Toys," devices and gadgets that are all remarkable testimonies to his technical ingenuity. He has worked all of these shows in open fields, botanical gardens, industrial parks, run-down theatres, adapting to each site effortlessly. As an actor, I can only say that there's always a sense of relief and comfort in simply knowing that Chris is in a control booth or a tent somewhere in charge of anything that's plugged in, and is the one pressing all the buttons; at least that part of the show will go well. 

Chris is polite, a pleasure to work with, extremely knowledgeable and, most importantly I think, eager to continually learn. One anecdote nicely sums up my all my experiences with Chris. For Hamlet, Chris constructed the most realistic Yorrick's skull I've ever seen; when he wasn't building it and other props for that production, I was making strange demands on his sound designing skills, the worst of which being my request one morning that he create a sound like a ghost leaving someone's body." He paused, looked at me for a moment, and without hinting that what I'd asked for was not likely to be found in most sound libraries said, "Weeeelll, I suppose I could try recording a thunderclap backwards, stretch it out for ten seconds, and lower its pitch about two octaves."  That's Chris: solutions that no one else would think of, perfectly executed, all accomplished simply and without conflict. And that sound effect got a round of applause every night.

Audio clip of ‘The Ghost’

Associate Artist and Director
The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival

In Memory of
Kevin Scott Crawford
April 25, 1970 to December 2, 2013

It is with great pleasure and pride that I write this recommendation for Christopher Bell. As I reflect on the many years and productions in which Chris and I have worked together, at Palm Beach State College Eissey Campus Theatre, The Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival, and numerous other events that encompass dance, theatre, live bands and orchestral music, there is a recurring theme of which I am evident. This theme is dependability. To speak in the vernacular, Chris is the "go to guy”. He is one of the most talented and professional craftspeople I have had the pleasure to work alongside who will take on the responsibility of a project and see that it gets completed efficiently and meticulously. Chris has NEVER let me down. He exudes professionalism and pride in all his work. This attitude and work ethic is evident in all the projects in which he engages, whether it be as an audio engineer, sound designer, lighting technician, or crew manager. Chris is one of the most accomplished audio engineers with whom I have ever worked. To claim this title, it is not simply a matter of mastering the volumes of technical specifications of the equipment, no small feat though that is. Chris understands the nuances and subtleties of live theatre. He becomes an extension of the performers, and even a performer himself. As an audio engineer, Chris is an artisan in his own right. 

Daniel Gordon
Professor and Chair of Theatre and Dance
Winthrop University

Chris Bell and I have worked together as dear friends and colleagues for over 30 years. During that vast period of time, he was steadfast by my side in creating the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival and its acclaimed productions both indoors at venues across Palm Beach County and our signature outdoor event SHAKESPEARE BY THE SEA in our home at the Seabreeze Amphitheater in Carlin Park located in Jupiter. His work as a sound designer and audio engineer borders on genius. His co-workers and the audiences who “hear” what he creates all stand amazed. His work is creative and complete and the discipline and professionalism he brings to the theater is brilliant!  Personally, I always strive to create a wonderful product for our audiences. A production they will remember for years to come. After thirty years, with Chris Bell by my side, I can say I have accomplished that goal!

Kermit Christman
Founder/Producing Director
Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival