Paul James Lang is an actor, teaching artist, and red-bearded baritone who believes in leading with vulnerability, humor, and a deep love for characters who search for connection, belonging, and for the courage to be seen.
Born in Bermuda to an American dad and an English mom, Paul spent his early years moving across the U.S. before landing in Connecticut (shoutout to Mystic Pizza). He got his first taste of the stage in third grade, playing a walking-stick-wielding narrator on the altar of his Catholic school. The performance was bold. The applause was affirming. The path, eventually, was clear. Paul earned his BFA in Musical Theater from The Boston Conservatory, where he deepened his skills as an actor, refined his vocal technique, and got through ballet thanks mostly to his enthusiasm and a great smile. Since then, he’s performed in productions across the Northeast and on national tour, including Bent at The Umbrella Stage Company, a role that deepened his commitment to queer storytelling and remains one of his most meaningful artistic experiences. Before moving to Illinois, Paul spent nearly a decade between New York and Boston, balancing performance, arts education, and full-time work in human resources, where he was, without question, always the personality hire. (Nobody hosts a better new hire onboarding.) During this time, he continued his Meisner training, honed his on-camera skills, and became a proud member of AEA. In 2025, Paul completed his MFA in Acting at Northern Illinois University, where he spent three years performing roles from Shakespeare to Jen Silverman, teaching the Fundamentals of Acting, and creating original work rooted in movement, queerness, and emotional accessibility. During this time, he took part in a solo performance residency in Quebec and Montreal, devising an audience-immersive piece exploring shame and queer identity, and participating in workshops and discussions with internationally acclaimed director Robert Lepage and the company at Ex Machina. That same year, Paul was selected for a summer internship with TUTA (The Utopian Theater Asylum) in Chicago, where he supported the rehearsal process for their production of Tom & Eliza under the direction of Aileen McGroddy. In addition to script analysis and rehearsal-room participation, Paul contributed to front-of-house operations and joined company-wide conversations on season planning, fundraising, and development strategy. Now based in the greater Chicagoland area, Paul is seeking new opportunities in 2026 as both a performer and teaching artist. He’s especially drawn to projects that center queer narratives with nuance, curiosity, and heart. As an educator, he thrives on helping students find their creative voice and develop work rooted in presence, play, and point of view. When not acting or teaching, Paul plays a dangerous amount of tennis, dominates bar trivia nights, and will gladly recount, at length, the time he witnessed Patti LuPone stop the show mid–“Rose’s Turn.” (Yes, that performance.) |