College of Arts and Sciences

Lauren Morris is a freelance theatre director, actor, teacher and arts manager.  Her goal has always been to create a viable career in the arts, combining her love and talent for the creative side of theatre with practical management and leadership skills. After receiving her undergraduate degree in theatre, she worked primarily as a theatre artist in Indianapolis before attending graduate school at Cal State Long Beach for her MBA/MFA. Following graduate school, she helped steer two theatres through the financial repercussions of the great recession as a Managing Director: Long Beach Playhouse in Long Beach, CA and Georgia Shakespeare in Atlanta, GA.

After having her son Kellan in 2014, she took a break from the nonprofit arts sector to work in Atlanta’s growing tech community as the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for SimplePart, a company that creates digital platforms for major automotive manufacturers. At SimplePart, she managed a team of copywriters, graphic designers, and digital marketers while partnering with marketing teams at companies such as Subaru, Volkswagen, Audi, Toyota and Volvo.

In 2017, she returned to full-time work in the theatre, freelancing as a director and arts management consultant. She currently works with several theatre companies in Atlanta, including Théâtre du Rêve and Horizon Theatre Company, and returns annually to direct at Crossroads Repertory Theatre back at her alma mater Indiana State University. This fall, she will be one of 70 directors from across the globe to attend the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab in New York City.