Lauren Shouse

Lauren Shouse is a director, dramaturg and teacher. She is currently the Associate Professor of Theatre Directing at Middle Tennessee State University. She has directed 10 productions with Nashville Repertory Theatre including Waitress, POTUS, The Cake, Every Brilliant Thing, Avenue Q; Rapture, Blister, Burn; Superior Donuts, and A Christmas Story. She currently serves as Nashville Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Advisor and has served as director and dramaturg for their Ingram New Works Program. She recently devised and directed the world premiere of Nate Eppler’s highly acclaimed Human Resources with Nashville Story Garden and Oz Arts Nashville. She has been nominated for best director of a play or musical multiple times by Broadway World Nashville. She has also directed The Wolves (upcoming), Our Town, The Ruminants (part of the national College Collaboration Project), Sense and Sensibility, Fun Home, Ride the Cyclone, and Everybody for MTSU’s Center Stage Series. In 2021, she co-created Play Space—a URECA and TAC grant supported new play development workshop which commissioned The Willows by playwright Sharyn Rothstein. Prior to joining MTSU faulty, Shouse was the Associate Artistic Director at Chicago's Northlight Theatre and directed over 15 productions in the Chicago area including Something Clean, a Sideshow and Rivendell Theatre co-production, What We’re Up Against at Compass Theatre, The Cake at Rivendell Theatre, The Legend of Georgia McBride at Northlight Theatre, A Doll’s House, Nice Girl and Betrayal at Raven Theatre. She was nominated for the Joseph Jefferson Award for best director for her work on The Cake at Rivendell Theatre. She has also worked with Steppenwolf Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre, Route 66, The Gift Theatre, Chicago Dramatists, and Raven Theatre. Lauren has international experience working with Producer/Director Hugh Wooldridge. Her work abroad includes: Production Executive for The Night of 1000 Voices (celebrating John Kander and Fred Ebb and starring Joel Grey with Avenue Q) at The Royal Albert Hall; Production Executive of An Evening with Michael Parkinson at The Theatre Royal - Windsor, Children's Director/Assistant to the Director of A Gift of Music, and Assistant Director of The Night of 1000 Voices at The Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Ireland. Shouse holds an MA in Performance Studies from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and an MFA in Theatre Directing from Northwestern University.