Today we’d like to introduce you to LaurenSage Browning.
LaurenSage, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m a 22 years old actress, writer, and director finishing up my BFA at CalArts. I’m originally from Kansas City which is where I directed my first few original pieces and began to develop my voice as an artist motivated by social change. Over the past six years, I’ve continued to direct original theatrical pieces under my production company, Cloud 9 Productions. Last summer, I went on tour with a piece I wrote, directed, and acted in titled, “I Could Take a Nap, but Killing Myself Would.” This piece was a partnership with eight suicide prevention organizations and traveled to 5 cities including an Off-Broadway debut.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The work that needs to be done is never the easy work. I’m dedicated to telling the stories that our society has silenced and ignored, so there’s always difficulty within tackling tough topics. At the end of each process, I’m grateful for the challenges that my team and I encountered. The challenges within a creative process that deals with social change are often the moments that are pivotal for the work and the meaning of the piece.
Please tell us about Cloud 9 Productions.
Cloud 9 Productions uses the platform of performance and the agency of entertainment to give a voice to the voiceless. We’re interested in taking compelling narratives and coupling them with experimental storytelling techniques to create work that is necessary, new, and influential. Each piece we take on has a purpose larger than the artistry, yet at the same time, we hold ourselves to high artistic standards. Cloud 9 works to redefine the experience of ‘theater for social for change.’
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
When I first started, I often worked as a team of one. If I had it to do over, I would find collaborators earlier on. Art is a community endeavor. The more people involved, the greater the opportunity for change and impact. It is so crucial for us to build a community of artists and spectators as we build our work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laurensagebrowning.com
- Email: laurensagebrowning@gmail.com
- Other: https://cloud9productions.wixsite.com/cloud9
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