LAURA EASON was born and raised in Evanston, IL. and now lives in Brooklyn, NY. She is an Ensemble Member and the former Artistic Director of Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago, winner of the 2011 Regional Tony Award. She is also a member of Rising Phoenix Rep, an Affiliated Artist of New Georges and an alumna of the Women’s Project Playwright’s Lab and America-in-Play, all in New York. Laura has received multiple Chicago Jeff Award nominations for writing and directing and has received two Jeffs for original work and adaptation. She is a proud graduate of the Performance Studies Department of Northwestern University where she studied with Frank Galati, Dwight Conquergood, Martha Lavey, Lee Roloff and long-time collaborator, Mary Zimmerman. Member of: WGAE, AEA, SDC, SAG, ASCAP.
Laura is the author of more than twenty full-length plays, both original work and adaptations, and a musical book writer. Produced full length plays include: SEX WITH STRANGERS (Second Stage, NYC; Sydney Theatre, Australia; Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago), THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER (Hartford Stage, CT; Actors Theatre, KY; Denver Center, People’s Light, PA; St. Louis Rep), AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (New Vic, UK; Lookingglass, Chicago; Baltimore Centerstage; Kansas City Rep; Lamb’s PLayers, CA). ETHAN FROME (also director, Lookingglass, Chicago), REWIND (Side Project, Chicago), WHEN THE MESSENGER IS HOT (59E59, NYC; Steppenwolf, Theatre Schmeater, Seattle), AREA OF RESCUE (Andhow Theatre, NYC), A TALE OF TWO CITIES (Steppenwolf), HUCK FINN (Steppenwolf), THE GHOST’S BARGAIN (Two River Theater, NJ), THE COAST OF CHICAGO (Walkabout Theatre, Chicago), OUR SECRET LIFE (Middlesex School), 40 DAYS (UW-Stevens Point); IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER (Lookingglass; Touchstone Theatre, PA) and 28 (Lookingglass).
As a screenwriter, she was a staff writer on season two and a story editor on season three of the Netflix Drama, “House of Cards.” Sole writing credits include Chapter 17 and Chapter 30.
Produced short plays include: MR. SMITTEN (Humana Festival), CITI MOMS (Women’s Project, NYC; Steep Theatre, Chicago), LOST BOY IN THE RUINED CITY (Theatre Seven, Chicago). JACK AND THE COLLECTION (WET, NYC), LOST IN THE SUPERMARKET (Vital Theatre, NYC), USA-001A (American Theatre Company, Chicago), 59 and 1/2 MULBERRY STREET (America-in-Play) and IT WAS FUN WHILE IT LASTED… (City Theatre Summer Shorts Festival, Miami, FL), LOST BOY IN THE RUINED CITY (Theatre Seven, Chicago). DYNAMOMETER (The Thursday Problem/Working Man’s Clothes, NYC). Her plays have been developed in New York at Rising Phoenix Rep, Rattlestick, MCC, New York Theatre Workshop, Women’s Project, Andhow and New Georges. She has received commissions from Hartford Stage, Steppenwolf Theatre, Denver Center, Arden Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Writers Theatre, Walkabout Theatre, Two River Theatre, and Middlesex School. Additional plays include PLAINFIELD ACE, THE VAST IN-BETWEEN and THE UNDENIABLE SOUND OF RIGHT NOW, WHEN THE MESSENGER IS HOT, AREA OF RESCUE and AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS are published by Broadway Play Publishing where she is a former Playwright of the Year. Her work is also published by Smith & Kraus and Playscripts. With writing partner Paul Oakley Stovall, Laura is the co-writer of a screenplay based on his stageplay Immediate Family
Most recently, Laura directed a workshop of UNKNOWN SOLDIER by Danny Goldstein and Michael Friedman at the O’Neill Musical Theatre Conference. She has directed several of her plays at Lookingglass Theatre, including ETHAN FROME, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (Jeff nomination for Best Production), IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER and 28. Also, for Lookingglass, she directed DREAMING LUCIA, LOOKINGGLASS HAMLET, ROMEO AND JULIET and FEDRA: Queen of Hati, fellow ensemble member J. Nicole Brook’s adaptation of Racine’s Phedra. Other direction credits include AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS at Baltimore Centerstage and Kansas City Rep.
As an associate artist with Sojourn Theatre in Portland, OR, her co-writing and co-direction collaborations with Artistic Director Michael Rohd include Look Away, Smashed and Hidden: Hate and Complicity in Present Day Portland (left), which is published in Ethnodrama: An Anthology of Reality Theatre by AltaMira Press and was seen by 45,000 students in the American Northwest.
