Regarded by many as one of the UK’s most influential acting teachers, George Hall has launched a 5-part podcast series, sharing memories from his 65-year-long career
The podcast series, called George at 100, tells the extraordinary story of Hall’s life and career. Introduced by Neil Pearson, the series is based upon 5 recorded conversations between Hall and a handful of his former students, including: Sir Tony Robinson, Belinda Lang and Leonie Mellinger. The series also includes snippets from a range of other interviews with former students, from Zoe Wanamaker to Michael Grandage.
Hall studied at the Old Vic School with Joan Plowright in 1949, then went on to work as an actor, musician, director and composer of more than 1000 performed songs. He worked for a time as a voice coach, working with a range of actors including Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Edith Evans and Leslie Caron.
He has, however, arguably made his biggest impact through his long career as a teacher in the arts. He was director of the acting course at the Central School of Speech and Drama for 25 years, up until 1987. After leaving Central, he has worked extensively both in the UK and abroad, including teaching an annual cabaret course at Yale University. He continues to teach at the Royal Academy of Music, still giving weekly online lectures to postgraduate students there, despite his advancing years.
You can find the first episode of the podcast series here, or search for George Hall at 100 wherever you usually get your podcasts.