Lantern Theater Company Announces Events With Legal And Art Scholars David Hall, Linda Eaton, And Colette Loll

As part of its ongoing In Conversation Series of fascinating discussions with theater artists and special guests, Lantern Theater Company will host three noted experts for conversations that explore the themes of the Lantern's world premiere production of The Craftsman by Bruce Graham. The conversations immediately follow 2:00 p.m. matinee performances on Saturday, Dec. 2 (David Hall), Sunday, Dec. 3 (Linda Easton), and Saturday, Dec. 9 (Colette Loll) and are free to the general public with ticket purchase. Members of the press are invited to attend by contacting Anne Shuff at ashuff@lanterntheater.org; advance reservations are required and space is limited.

In Conversation with David Hall: Art on Trial (Saturday, Dec. 2 at 4:30 p.m.)

Moderated by Lantern Artistic Director Charles McMahon, this conversation will focus on the stories of stealing, recovering, and prosecuting art thefts. A seasoned trial attorney and partner at Wiggin and Dana LLP in Philadelphia, David Hall worked for more than two decades at the U.S. Department of Justice, including as the Special Prosecutor for the FBI Art Crime Team. He recovered the long-lost diary of the Nazi official Alfred Rosenberg, which is now part of the Holocaust Museum collection. He has extensive experience in investigations and prosecutions concerning cultural property, and played a role in recovering stolen Norman Rockwell paintings from Brazil, and returning Mesopotamian artifacts to Iraq and gold tomb art objects to Peru.

In Conversation with Linda Eaton: What Makes Art Real and Why Fakes Prove So Alluring (Sunday, Dec. 3 at 4:30 p.m.)

Moderated by Lantern Executive Director Stacy Dutton, this conversation will focus on what makes art objects authentic and why fakes remain alluring even after they are debunked. Linda Eaton is the John L. & Marjorie P. McGraw Director of Collections & Senior Curator of Textiles at the Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. She co-curated the museum's current exhibit, "Treasures on Trial: The Art and Science of Detecting Fakes," which includes an acknowledged copy of Han van Meegeren's painting "The Procuress," itself a purported Dirck van Baburen. Eaton has written extensively on the history of textiles and curated numerous exhibits, including Winterthur's 2010/11 exhibit "Betsy Ross: The Life Behind the Legend."

In Conversation with Colette Loll: Are Fakes and Forgeries in Art a Problem or an Opportunity? (Saturday, Dec. 9 at 4:30 p.m.)

Moderated by The Craftsman director and Lantern Education Director M. Craig Getting, this conversation will focus on the recurring issue of fakes and forgeries in art, including the treatment of the subject in The Craftsman. Colette Loll is a leading consultant in the field of art forgery and founder/director of Art Fraud Insights in Washington, D.C. Her practice ranges widely from training federal agents for the U.S. Homeland Security Department's Cultural Heritage Protection program to curating the touring art exhibit Intent to Deceive: Fakes and Forgeries in the Art World.

These conversations immediately follow the 2:00 p.m. performances on Saturday, Dec. 2 (David Hall), Sunday, Dec. 3 (Linda Eaton), and Saturday, Dec. 9 (Colette Loll) and are free to the general public with ticket purchase. Tickets for these weekend performances are $39 - $43, and are available online at www.lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. Student tickets are $15 in advance; $10 student rush tickets are available 10 minutes before curtain with valid ID. Discounts are also available for theater industry professionals ($10 in advance or at the door), seniors 65 and up, groups of 10 or more, and U.S. military personnel. Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th & Ludlow Sts. in Center City Philadelphia.

About Lantern Theater Company

Founded in 1994, Lantern Theater Company launched its twenty-fourth season with a record number of subscribers, its largest-ever operating budget at $1.5 million, and a growing community of theater artists engaged in its productions and audience enrichment events. The Lantern's innovative Theater Artist Fair Pay Initiative was featured in American Theatre magazine as a leading national success story for increasing artist compensation through a combination of fundraising and higher ticket sales. The Lantern seeks to be a vibrant, contributing member of its community, exposing audiences to great theater, inviting participation in dialogue and discussion, engaging audience members on artistic and social issues, and employing theatrical language and techniques to enrich learning in the classroom. Since the inception of the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre in 1995, Lantern Theater Company has been recognized with 96 nominations and 19 awards, including the 2009 Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theatre Education and Community Service. Following The Craftsman, the Lantern's 2017/18 season continues with Copenhagen by Michael Frayn, The Tempest by William Shakespeare, and the Philadelphia premiere of Don't Dress for Dinner by Marc Camoletti and adapted by Robin Hawdon. More information is online at www.lanterntheater.org.

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