Lauren Schaad is a creative facilitator, actor, and improviser based in Denver, Colorado.
Lauren’s most memorable moment of improvisation occurred as a teenager, when she was unexpectedly called upon to help deliver a baby goat. With encouragement from the small crowd that had quietly gathered in the Arkansas barn, her nerves dissipated and she completed the task with grace. That moment ignited her passion for bringing things to life—a thread that continues to guide her work in the arts.
She discovered theater while earning her BA at Colby College in the wilds of Maine, and has since devoted her career to exploring how creativity can shape lives. A theater educator, actor, and creative facilitator, she’s trained with ImprovBoston, Second City, and performs with Denver’s Chaos Bloom Theater, as well as in local productions.
Believing that creativity should never be confined, Lauren works with Action Change Theatre (ACT) Ensemble to co-create performances with incarcerated participants at Limon, Sterling and Denver Women’s Correctional Facilities. She is currently serving as Associate Director for ACT Ensemble’s production of Twelve Angry Men at Limon Correctional Facility, deepening her practice in ensemble-building, social justice, and storytelling as a tool for connection and transformation.
Through workshops, residencies, and custom experiences, Lauren brings improvisation and ensemble-based theater practices to unexpected places: from organizations like BMW Group and Patagonia to academic institutions, community spaces, and nonprofits like Special Olympics Colorado. Her work helps participants build trust, creativity, and connection through storytelling, play, and collaborative exploration.
When she’s not performing or teaching, Lauren is either baking or hiking, or playing with her black cat. She’s an avid world traveler and would have definitely joined Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Tales of her globetrotting adventures can be found at SheClimbs.com.
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Proof of Magic
“I never liked getting up in front of other people. Lauren put me at ease.”
“We became comfortable while doing the uncomfortable.”
“Lauren was very clever. She has an obvious strong grasp of the material and a genuine love of people.”
What i was made for
My work establishes and restores joyful balance. No matter the setting — whether your stage, festival, board room, or barn, I use fundamental dramatic principles to elicit deeper connection among people. No need to be funny or quick on your feet. A desire to make others look good is all it takes.