About the Moderator
Lance Brett Hall became interested in actors, their work, and their careers through the usual channels: high energy physics and automotive engineering. His main interests early in life were the hard sciences, and his first exposure to acting came at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. These unorthodox beginnings still influence his view of the actor as a discoverer and explorer. Just like the scientist, the actor should have different tools at their disposal to develop ideas, test their execution, observe a reaction, and change course. He entered Cornell University to study theater directing and acting coaching, and studied under David Feldshuh, a former Guthrie Theater actor, Pulitzer Prize nominee, and emergency room trauma physician. As a result, his training is particularly focused on the diagnosis and treatment of actors' creative ailments. In Chicago, Lance has worked with theaters such as Lookingglass and Victory Gardens. Among other interests, he speaks German fluently, and has extensively researched German acting history. Because of his studies, he advocates the idea that acting has always been at the center of performance history. The notion that acting has often informed playwriting and not the other way around, is not widely held. Most of his current projects involve giving actors (and other artists) an awareness about their own abilities, value, and potential. These projects include Launch Pad Casting Workshop, Tip Your Waiter Productions, and The Bite Size Arts Ensemble.
