Laurie Benning Roberts

Laurie Roberts was born in the San Francisco suburb of Menlo Park, CA. She received her BA in drama and dance from the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated as a Mary Gates Leadership scholar for her work devising theatre. While living in Seattle, Ms. Roberts developed two original pieces that each debuted at the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe, The Grind Show and Ithaca I'll Never See; the latter of which was devised at the Drama Collective Pontlevoy, France. At the Drama Collective, she was able to work with Lecoq master Jason Turner, original members of Tadeusz Kantor's company Cricoteka, Andrzej and Teresa Wilminski, and object-based theatre maker Andrea Cusumano. She was also involved as a dancer in the premiers of dance pieces at On the Boards Northwest New Works Festival and Velocity Center's Next Fest NW. In South Carolina, Ms. Roberts studied with P3/East's founders Robyn Hunt and Steve Pearson, masters of Suzuki training and the slow tempo work of Shogo Ohta.