Governor Ralph Northam has selected Lucas Hall to join his administration as the deputy director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts. Hall attended VCUarts in the Department of Theatre from 1999 to 2002, and has since built his career around performance and nonprofit business management. His new position will oversee the state commission’s compliance, budget and finances, and it also offers him opportunities to work with the VCA’s regional arts panels.
“Honestly, I am extremely excited, in my capacity, to be serving Virginia’s artists, performers and arts patrons,” says Hall.
Following his studies at VCUarts, Hall toured with the Virginia Repertory Theatre for five years—traveling across the commonwealth and to 34 other states. He later joined the theatre company’s accounting department, where he rose to become accounting manager, a role he held for more than 10 years. Before becoming the deputy director of the VCA, Hall also worked at the nonprofit VCU Investment Management Company.
Hall has maintained a busy career on stage, and in television and film. He has performed in theatre productions of 1776, I Have a Dream, and Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, The Tempest and more. He has also appeared in the TV shows Homeland, Legends & Lies and Shadows of History.
The commission, founded in 1968, is Virginia’s primary force for creative enrichment across the commonwealth. It strives to improve grant-making processes for artists and organizers, and strengthen cooperation between arts communities. In Richmond, the arts account for more than 10,700 jobs and $200 million in household income.
“The arts isn’t just about creativity, isn’t just about shaping lives or entertainment,” says Hall. “It is also a massive economic engine.”
Read the official announcement at the governor’s website, and learn more about Hall on IMDb,