Biography

Laurel's the Founding Artistic Director of Two Roads Ensemble and former Artistic Director of Open Door Theater. She's directed numerous plays, including Crimes of the Heart, for Woodinville Repertory Theater, and served as Assistant Director for The Weir, by Conor McPherson, at the Intiman Theater.

Laurel received her BFA in acting from Southern Methodist University. She earned an MA in Psychology from Antioch University and an MFA in Film from UCLA. She won several awards including a Samuel Goldwyn and a Sloan Foundation/Tribeca writing award for her screenplays. She was a 2012 Nicholl Fellowship finalist for her screenplay, When Thunder Sleeps, and wrote and directed the award-winning short, Maria in the Kitchen, with Nik Perleros.

As a stage actress, she has appeared on stage at the Seattle Fringe Festival, Woodinville Repertory Theatre, Alice B. Theater, Freehold Theater, Everett Performing Arts Center, New City Theater. She has toured nationally and internationally, including Panama and South Korea, for Open Door Theatre.

She lives in Los Angeles.
- IMDb mini biography by: Lance Samuel

Member of WGA West and Professional Member of Women in Film, Los Angeles.

"Man, Where's My shoe" has shown at the 2005 Garden State Film Festival (winner of Broader Vision Award), 2004 Nosotros American Latino Film Festival, and the 2004 Laugh Is Hope Comedy Film Festival.

Laurel has won numerous writing awards. These include the Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award for her screenplay, "The Route," the Milton Sperling Award for excellence in screenwriting, the Alfred P. Sloan Award, for her screenplay, "Finding Grace," and a Special Arts Projects Award, 4Culture, for "Facing West". She was a finalist for the 2012 Nicholl Fellowship Award and a semi finalist for the 2013 Austin Film Festival competition. She was a finalist for the 2017 Screencraft Film Production Award and for the 2019 Women in Film Production Program.