Professional actor, writer and producer Lance Kinsey has been named this spring’s Fred Coe Artist-in-Residence by the Vanderbilt University Theatre.
A graduate of Vanderbilt University, class of 1975, Kinsey will spend a week on campus, sharing his expertise with students in several informal sessions about professional theatre, film and television. He’ll offer practical knowledge and tips about what to do before securing an agent and how to acquire one, differences between theatre and the film/television industry and suggestions for landing a first job.
In addition, this former member of Chicago’s acclaimed Second City Company will conduct a hands-on improvisation workshop on some afternoons with willing participants from his audience. Kinsey guarantees “a lot of information, a lot of laughs and the truth about the business as I know it.”
Kinsey will be at Vanderbilt April 12-15, in Neely Auditorium, from 4 to 6 p.m. each afternoon. The Vanderbilt community is invited to attend any of these free sessions, although seating is limited.
After graduating from Vanderbilt, Kinsey completed the apprenticeship program at Actors Theatre of Louisville. After a brief stint in New York, he moved to Chicago to enroll in workshops at the improvisation theatre, Second City. Kinsey was offered a position in the Second City touring company and later became a permanent member of their resident company where he had the opportunity to write and perform.
His success at Second City earned him three nominations for Joseph Jefferson Awards and allowed him to teach improvisation at various universities and institutions, including the celebrated Goodman Theatre. Kinsey then moved to Los Angeles where he performed in a “Best of Second City” show with other Second City alumni such as Jim Belushi. Such exposure ultimately led to being cast in the successful comedy Police Academy movies as Lt. Proctor.
Kinsey has appeared in dozens of television shows, films and theatre productions. He also began writing screenplays, as well as exploring producing. Kinsey has written and produced for both feature films and television, including Disney animations, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye and Doc.
For more information about the Vanderbilt Theatre program, visit http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/theatre/home.
Media contact: Missy Pankake, (615) 322-NEWS
missy.pankake@vanderbilt.edu