Lauren currently resides in Little Rock, AR and is a Freelance Scenic Designer and the Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts-Design & Technology at Hendrix College. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Scenic Design from Indiana University and her Bachelor of Arts in Drama from the University of Arkansas. She has been the scenic designer for more than 55 productions since graduate school and has worked in Arkansas, Indiana, Texas, Montana, and South Carolina. She has experience working with secondary education, higher education, summer stock, community theatre, and as a residential year-round designer and has enjoyed them all. She heartily believes that theatre is for everyone. As Oscar Wilde said, “I regard the theater as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.”

 One of the recurring themes of her teaching philosophy is the importance of establishing a sustainable work/life balance. She has said, “Theater is life, but our life is not theater. Making space for our lives outside of theater not only enriches our own selves but it makes us better storytellers. How can I tell engaging stories about life if I don’t live mine?” In her life outside theater, she loves long distance running, traveling, going to the gym, dancing, gardening, baking, listening to audiobooks, being nerdy about anything science fiction and fantasy, playing board games, and enjoying the Arkansas outdoors. Most of all she loves spending time with her very supportive husband Jeremy, their amazing kids Teddy and Trudy, and their sweet dog Zoe.