Lainie Vansant

Lainie Vansant

Lainie Vansant (she/her) has worked on productions as an actor, stage manager, playwright, dramaturg, and director and holds a PhD in theatre and performance studies from the University of Missouri - Columbia, for which she translated and adapted a play by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Directing at the University of South Dakota. Her plays have been performed in...
Lainie Vansant (she/her) has worked on productions as an actor, stage manager, playwright, dramaturg, and director and holds a PhD in theatre and performance studies from the University of Missouri - Columbia, for which she translated and adapted a play by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Directing at the University of South Dakota. Her plays have been performed in community theatre and summer stock and have received multiple readings at venues like the Midwest Dramatists Conference, the University of Missouri, KCACTF Region V, and Pot Luck Productions. In addition, she has directed and helped develop short plays for the Mizzou New Play Festival, the Starting Gate New Play Festival, Short Attention Span Theatre, and the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) - Region V. She has also served as a Managing Director for the Mizzou New Play Series the last three years, and has served on the planning committee for the University of Missouri’s production of “The 24 Hour Plays.” Her research interests include translation, adaptation, and Latin American theatre.

Instagram: @lainievansant Twitter: @VansantLainie Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/LainieVansant

Plays

  • Stabbers Takes a Stand
    Watch a staged reading here: https://youtu.be/Pjs8I9kHkmA

    THE BAD tries to psych Jada out about school
  • Overqualified
    10 MINUTE: Pursued by her mother's expectations, Joey tries to put her best face forward on her job search.

    Available in a self-published volume with ISBN on Amazon
  • Shiver and Shake
    ONE ACT, TYA Based on a story from the Brothers Grimm - Jack is something of a dolt when it comes to reading other people's emotions. He is spending the night in a haunted castle to win the hand of the princess and figure out what it means to shiver and shake.
  • Spark
    FULL LENGTH: Spark, a young dragon, becomes human for a week and must find her treasure in the human world.
  • Spark (Large cast)
    FULL LENGTH: Spark, a young dragon, becomes human for a week and must find her treasure in the human world.
  • Bluehair
    10 MINUTE: Ray must channel the strength of his RPG character to face a new kind of villain
  • Of the World
    10 MINUTE: The music that underscores Mona’s life is changing its tune - she has to find a way to break the news to her parents without throwing away her traditions completely.
  • The Man They Turned Into a Dog by Osvaldo Dragun (translation)
    10 MINUTE: An ordinary man is slowly humiliated and beaten down by the society around him until he comes to believe that he is a dog.
  • Conlangified
    FULL-LENGTH: Eva, an aspiring TV writer, is too cool for school, but she must swallow her pride and embrace some changes when her job suddenly depends on a super nerdy assignment.
  • Marvin
    ONE ACT TYA: Jayden tells his little sister a story about an alien who kidnapped people and trapped them in a carton of yogurt. Zoe, however, has other ideas about the way this story should end.
  • Carrying On
    One Act, TYA: As Ida deals with her grief after her mother’s death, her friend Jac tries to help her in some ridiculous ways.
  • Hazard Pay
    After hearing the big news, Tony asks Jess to quit her job.

    Available in a self-published volume with ISBN on Amazon
  • Mamasaurus
    10 MINUTE: Alex and Carol face the age-old mother-in-law showdown, layered with the complexity of gender and parenthood in 2018.
  • Hat Pins and Whom
    Bax and Sadie deal with a mystery couched in old lady knicknacks.
  • Kikimora
    NAN tries to convince TRISH to come home for Christmas now that her “goth phase” is over, but how much of the past can be left there?

    Available in a self-published volume with ISBN on Amazon
  • Bug
    One Act (TYA): Bug and Cammy just can’t shake the unrealistic expectations the world puts on them. Will their peers and parents control who they are? It may take more than they think to get across that bridge.
  • What is it About Being Vegan?
    Earl jokes about lunch.
  • The Landlord
    10 MINUTE: Chad struggles to overcome his conservative roots to support the women in his life, especially his roommate Jenna, but this support is tested when he is faced with an older generation’s version of masculinity.
  • Prince Snow
    Snow leads a sheltered life in his castle until his jealous stepfather unwittingly thrusts him into a kingdom-wide rebellion.
  • #Blessed
    Kaylee and Beth's debate about social media gets personal
  • Fish Stories
    Jesus' followers share some crazy stories - but are they too crazy to be believed?
  • No Bueno
    Chloe needs some help.
  • With the Temptation, A Way of Escape
    Adapted from Los empeños de una casa by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Ana thinks that she knows what's best for her friends. So when her brother decides that he NEEDS to marry sweet Leonor, Ana tries to manipulate the rules of conservative Christianity to make it happen -- and learns something about love along the way.
  • How to Build a Noble House
    BY SOR JUANA INES DE LA CRUZ, my translation/cut

    Ana and her brother, Pedro come up with a plan to secure themselves noble marriages in this 17th-century romp from Mexico. Farcical door-slamming and scandal ensues, and the hilarity is not to be missed.
  • Resident Aliens
    An island observes its inhabitants throughout time