Meet Lauren

Next time you call the box office at Light Opera Works you might hear a new voice. This one belongs to Lauren Robertson, our winter 2010 intern. Light Opera Works hires as many as 8 interns each year, in the office and in production. Like many of them Lauren is an actress who is also interested in the administrative side of theater.

A senior at DePaul (public relations/advertising major, theatre studies minor) , Lauren is also finishing up the conservatory program at Second City, and is currently performing there Monday nights at 8pm in the ETC Theatre.

She’s also worked as an administrative intern at the Goodman Theatre, and in a casting office, where she learned a lot about the business side of acting. Lauren says, “It was disillusioning at first, because I thought it was all about looks, and not about talent. But after a while I really learned that to be a successful actor, especially a commercial actor, you can’t take this to heart. There are a lot of talented people out there, and you have to have luck, connections, and the right look. And that’s okay.”

One piece of luck came after taking a commercial acting class. One of the clinicians for the course was casting agency owner Shirley Hamilton (that's Lauren in the link, top row), who asked Lauren if she could represent her. Through the agency, Lauren has worked in commercials, a “scary film that I won’t tell you the name of,” and in the film Public Enemies, where apparently it was difficult to take one’s eyes off star Johnny Depp, who is just as good looking in person as on the screen.

Five years from now, Lauren just wants to be working in theater. “I like being an actor, but I also love working behind the scenes. I want to be in a big city, and so far Chicago has been great.”

We’ll see how she feels after her first trip to New York, coming up in a couple of weeks. But until we lose her to the bright lights of the big city, say hi if you happen to catch her on the phone.

If you or someone you know is interested in an internship at Light Opera Works, visit our website.