What a great chat I had with the multi-talented Rick Hall. He is truly a Renaissance man who grew up on a farm in central Illinois, in the town of Carrollton, with a population of 2,484! As a young boy, Rick sang and performed with the Carrollton Community Chorus and at church. He attended MacMurray College and he was planning on being a veterinarian, but after auditioning and getting cast in a show he slowly began to grasp the fact that this could be his career. (He actually played a veterinarian twice on the Seinfeld show!)His improv career began at the Improv Institute in Chicago. The Improv Institute was founded in late 1983 by John Michael Michalski, who would go on to teach at The Second City in Chicago. The Improv Institute was a staple in Chicago and hundreds of local improvisers played there, including Jane Morris, Jeff Michalski, Jonathan Pitts, and Susan Messing.
Learn more about Rick Hall:
He was recruited to the Second City Touring company and that’s where he met his wife, Laura Hall. They have a 29-year marriage. According to Rick, at first, he followed her around like a puppy dog at first but eventually, Laura got the hint and they started dating. In addition to improv, Rick is an actor, appearing in many TV commercials, films, and TV. He has been in “Key and Peele,” “The Middle,” “Arrested Development,” “Seinfeld,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “According to Jim,” and “24.” And, he was part of the cast of Disney’s “K.C. Undercover” for three seasons.
Rick’s one-man show “Pig Boy” played two sold-out performances at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and his short “Slice of Pie” has won nine national film festival awards. Rick is an amazing writer and storyteller. He tells stories, mostly true, about his experiences growing up in a small farming community and the people he knew and loved. His Podcasts that started last May, “So Sez Rick” at https://therickhall.com/podcast.
Rick’s skills as an actor and his ability to do a wide range of voices, make these stories come alive and create visualizations that we all can connect with. His most recent story, “Holy Night” is a wonderful Christmas tale. Even though it’s fiction, the characters are based on folks from his past, back in the Midwest. Rick shared that one of the best decisions he made was to buy a working farm near Carrollton that he can run with his family.
His most recent project is an audiobook of “The Mozart Conspiracy” by writer Phil Swann on Audible.com. I know you’ll enjoy getting to know Rick Hall as much as I did!
You can learn more about Rick on his:
- Website: https://therickhall.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rick.hall.farmer/
- IMBD: imdb.me/rickhall
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rick.hall.319452
You might want to listen to my fascinating discussions with other improv teachers and innovators including Laura Hall and Aretha Sills
*Improv Interviews podcast‘ is introduced by Susan L. Parker of yourinternationalvoice.com, Audio Engineer Landon Kirksey
Audio Engineer Landon Kirksey