About Me!
Lauren Rigby (they/them) is a stage manager based in the South Sound. Originally from Bremerton, WA, they moved up to Tacoma to pursue a BFA in Theatre Design/Tech at Pacific Lutheran University, where they have been a part of 16 shows in their three years there. They've been stage managing since 2023, and have been involved in stage tech as an all around stagehand since 2021.
Why Am I Here?
My first stage management experience was in my senior year of high school, working with one of my best friends at the time as co-stage-managers on The Addams Family -- school edition, of course. Although the process was as arduous as high school theatre ever is, it was also one of the greatest moments of my life. I say this to everyone, but one of my most memorable theatre moments to this day is sitting at the soundboard in my high school auditorium and listening to the audience actually laughing and gasping and reacting to our show. The audience reception to the show is still one of my favorite parts of theatre -- hearing people react to the art we've all been working on for so long and feeling how it truly affects them, it's so important to me. It's a huge part of why I still work in this industry.
University has given me so many more opportunities to refine my craft and understand this profession so much more. I've been able to work on several productions as an Assistant Stage Manager -- The Light in the Piazza, Love/Sick, and Frankenstein, to name a few -- as well as Stage Managing several musical revues, many of which were even student directed. This experience has led me to working with community theaters in the area, such as Tacoma Little Theatre's Bedroom Farce, on which I worked as the ASM. I hope to be able to continue this work outside of college and work with even more theaters around the area -- and if I even get to do that during my time here? Even better. I would even be interested in travelling outside of the state to work on shows there, if the opportunity arose.
Stage management has been an enormous part of my life for the past few years, and I hope to be able to pursue that passion for many more years to come. I love finding a community and creating art with people I might have never found otherwise. I love telling stories and facilitating the production of such wonderful art that comes out of those stories. Theatre has given me my people, my passion, and the proof that I can be part of something bigger than myself, and the knowledge that that truly matters.