Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: In Focus

Media Credit: Maureen Mitchell Margo Hall tells a reporter about play productions she has done and what she is doing now.

Margo Hall is now on her eighth year of teaching at Chabot College, and she continues to inspire her students as well as her colleagues with her skills and experiences.

This year, Hall is teaching Introduction to Acting and Theory and Practice of Acting on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Authenticity is one of the keywords in Hall's teaching style. Her approach is different from most actually, instead of teaching her students to be presentational first and then develop their character, Hall advises them to do it from inside out.

"I'm really interested in teaching an actor how to be true, how to be honest on stage," said Hall.

Her strategy has proven successful. Fellow colleague Dov Hassan, who is also a theater instructor, said, "As a director, [Hall] has an ability to bring out excellent performances from her actors."

When it comes to acting, Hall sees an actor's body as their only instrument. So, in the beginning of her classes, her students are to warm up.

Hall also teaches the discipline of acting. They read plays, literature, and even do a bit of research to help build the characters they are playing.

Aside from all the seriousness, Hall's students still find fun in her classes.

Chabot student Jacquelyn Boggess is taking Hall's classes for the second year. "[Hall's] class is probably one of the best classes you can ever be in, in my opinion," said Boggess.

She explained that Hall has her students learn in a fun way and is, "full of spirit."

Unfortunately, Hall is not scheduled to direct any plays this year in Chabot.

As a college student, Hall wanted to get a degree in dentistry at the University of Michigan.

However, her time there was not entirely spent on that. At the same time, Hall began to take theater courses because she found herself going back to the theater constantly.

Her exposure to the theater at a young age, with the involvement of her family with the entertainment world, inspired her to do so.

Eventually, Hall transferred to a school in New York and decided to make the theater her life instead.

Chabot is the first school that Hall has taught in, but that does not limit her teaching skills in any way.

Continued...

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