Lauren Wimmer

Lauren Wimmer

Lauren Wimmer writes about loneliness, fear, and death in ways that make people say, "hahaha."

Her plays have been produced or developed at Cave Theatre Co., Vineyard Arts Project, Dixon Place, Sewanee Writers' Conference, Panndora Productions, The Tank, Play by Play, A Collective Artists, The Dramatists Guild, PlayGround-NY, Irondale, Imaginarium Theatre Company, Mid-America...
Lauren Wimmer writes about loneliness, fear, and death in ways that make people say, "hahaha."

Her plays have been produced or developed at Cave Theatre Co., Vineyard Arts Project, Dixon Place, Sewanee Writers' Conference, Panndora Productions, The Tank, Play by Play, A Collective Artists, The Dramatists Guild, PlayGround-NY, Irondale, Imaginarium Theatre Company, Mid-America Theatre Conference, Kennedy Center's American College Theatre Festival, Theater For The New City, Swarm Artist Residency, The Workshop Theater, Campfire Theatre Festival, Ars Nova's ANT Fest, Theatre Evolve, The Annoyance, Theater Masters, The Bechdel Group, Possibilities Theatre Company, and Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company.

Lauren's a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. She's been a Playwrights’ Center Core Apprentice and Sitka Fellow. Her work's been published by Samuel French. Additionally, she’s been a finalist for the Maxim Mazumdar New Play Award, a semi-finalist for the Princess Grace Award, and a nominee for the L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Lauren is a graduate of The Second City's Conservatory and Writing programs. She received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and her M.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon University where she was the recipient of the Mary Marlin Fisher Playwriting Award and the Jean & Samuel Elgart ACS Legacy Fellowship.

Plays

  • The Death of Hayden Waverly, The Most Popular Person In The World by Lauren Wimmer
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, tragedy
    In the wake of the The Most Popular Person In The World's death, Naomi strives to be the next T.M.P.P.I.T.W. Eli joins The Terrified of Death Club to get over his fear of impending doom. When the head of the club, Nelson, is diagnosed with a terminal illness with no cure, these three characters must reevaluate the true meaning of friendship before it's too late. A buddy tragicomedy about people with...
    In the wake of the The Most Popular Person In The World's death, Naomi strives to be the next T.M.P.P.I.T.W. Eli joins The Terrified of Death Club to get over his fear of impending doom. When the head of the club, Nelson, is diagnosed with a terminal illness with no cure, these three characters must reevaluate the true meaning of friendship before it's too late. A buddy tragicomedy about people with no buddies except for a dead raccoon named “Buddy.”

    *Full script available upon request*
  • Dr. Rees Ziti's Pageant for a Better Future by Lauren Wimmer
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    11
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, immersive + 4 more
    Genre: dark comedy, immersive, pageant, satire, science fiction, tragedy
    In the not-so-distant future, after decades of natural decline, we can still count on one splashy spectacle of glamour: Dr. Rees Ziti’s Pageant for a Better Future. Beauty contestants compete to determine who deserves to carry us forward in this zany variety-show-meets-harrowing-government-propaganda-machine. Sound familiar?

    (Co-created with The Bellwether Project)

    *Full script available upon request*
  • The Originals by Lauren Wimmer
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 2 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, experimental
    When Iris arrives home from college, she discovers her father is trying to replace her with a baby doll also named Iris. Montana did not want to become a mom, abandoning her daughter when she was born. Now Montana is a nomad, driving across the country, picking up hitchhikers when she can. When the women cross paths, their connection is unlike anything they've ever known.

    *Full script available upon request*
  • The Cookie Institute by Lauren Wimmer
    Cast: 
    9
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, immersive + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy, immersive, satire
    It’s not a gallery, it’s an experience. Herstory-making Girrrlboss Penelope Cabot and her esteemed team want you to relive your childhood in this Instagram-rainbow world focused on all things cookie. Cookie swings. Cookie ball pits. Cookie slides. Behind the scenes, the ultimate takeover is brewing.

    *Full script available upon request*
  • Mods by Lauren Wimmer
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, immersive
    Aware is a content moderation company for the social media site MyHappyPlace that removes hateful and harmful posts. After the magazine Dot Com writes an exposé revealing poor work practices, Aware is back and better than ever! And they have bean bags in the wellness room now! As the days trudge on delving into the bowels of the internet, the employees (including newcomer Milton) numb themselves from the horror...
    Aware is a content moderation company for the social media site MyHappyPlace that removes hateful and harmful posts. After the magazine Dot Com writes an exposé revealing poor work practices, Aware is back and better than ever! And they have bean bags in the wellness room now! As the days trudge on delving into the bowels of the internet, the employees (including newcomer Milton) numb themselves from the horror they see on a daily basis in ways that may lead to destruction.

    *Full script available upon request*
  • Saved From The Titanic by Lauren Wimmer
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, period, tragedy
    Dorothy just survived the Titanic and no one knows how to interact with her now, not even her bestie, Gwen. When an opportunity to write and act in a silent film based on her surviving the Titanic is proposed to her days after the tragedy, she decides to jump at the chance to tell her story. But at what cost? Based on a truly disturbing true story.

    *Full script available upon request*
  • Ambush: Survivor Edition! by Lauren Wimmer
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    9
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, satire
    Willa fights back against an abusive boyfriend. She writes an inspiring blog post causing her to become a famous activist overnight. Popstar Lily Nevins’ acoustic back-to-her-roots album entitled “Back To My Roots” was a critical failure. When Lily Nevins sees Willa on a talk show called “The Perspective” it inspires her to focus her next album on female empowerment and bring Willa along for the ride. In a...
    Willa fights back against an abusive boyfriend. She writes an inspiring blog post causing her to become a famous activist overnight. Popstar Lily Nevins’ acoustic back-to-her-roots album entitled “Back To My Roots” was a critical failure. When Lily Nevins sees Willa on a talk show called “The Perspective” it inspires her to focus her next album on female empowerment and bring Willa along for the ride. In a chaotic world where the Earth’s President is stepping down to pursue his hobby of baking and a prank show has gone wild, Willa and Lily Nevins seek to bring stability to a world in fear.

    *Full script available upon request*
  • The Techno Contra by Lauren Wimmer
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 2 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, movement/physical
    An absurdist comedic odyssey about The Techno Contra Band who play music for their small town’s annual techno contra dance (think square dancing with techno music). After being told that their music was just "okay," they decide to eat, breathe, and sleep the techno contra, retreating into the forest to do so. When there's been an unexpected venue change, they must make the epic pilgrimage to The...
    An absurdist comedic odyssey about The Techno Contra Band who play music for their small town’s annual techno contra dance (think square dancing with techno music). After being told that their music was just "okay," they decide to eat, breathe, and sleep the techno contra, retreating into the forest to do so. When there's been an unexpected venue change, they must make the epic pilgrimage to The Techno Contra to prove they're better than okay. Along the way they encounter a cast of characters from the mythical Moshing Dancer to their nemesis, The Competing Techno Contra Band.

    *Full script available upon request*
  • The Let's Fight Seasonal Affective Disorder Together Spectacular! by Lauren Wimmer
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, experimental, immersive, pageant, satire
    It's the beginning of October which means the holidays are upon us and the weather's going to be super sad soon. A group of four strangers suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) respond to a classified ad to put up a show that will cheer up the community and, hopefully, themselves. Nearly ten years later, the spectacular is discovered via YouTube and the message is appropriated so what was...
    It's the beginning of October which means the holidays are upon us and the weather's going to be super sad soon. A group of four strangers suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) respond to a classified ad to put up a show that will cheer up the community and, hopefully, themselves. Nearly ten years later, the spectacular is discovered via YouTube and the message is appropriated so what was once a wholesome, cathartic show to provide solidarity has become a harmful glamorization of mental illness. The once-strangers must reunite and remount the show to remind the world what its message is all about.

    *Full script available upon request*
  • Keeping Sadness At Bay For One More Day by Lauren Wimmer
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, satire
    Haze runs Keeping Sadness At Bay For One More Day Funeral Home which specializes in creating themed celebratory funerals for those that pass away. Haze is also struggling with the passing of her mom. This leads her to go to Relentless Rage Rooms to let out her pain and anger at mortality. When the Death Vaccination is founded, Haze partners with Sean (a former client) to create liferals which are celebrations...
    Haze runs Keeping Sadness At Bay For One More Day Funeral Home which specializes in creating themed celebratory funerals for those that pass away. Haze is also struggling with the passing of her mom. This leads her to go to Relentless Rage Rooms to let out her pain and anger at mortality. When the Death Vaccination is founded, Haze partners with Sean (a former client) to create liferals which are celebrations of life. As Haze continues to work through her grief and rage, she finds that the way to celebrate may not need to be behind walls and it may not always be so joyous. And that's okay.

    *Full script available upon request*
  • Bettering An Already Better You by Lauren Wimmer
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 2 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, dark comedy, satire
    An unsuspecting person, secretly the prolific self-help book author who goes by the pen name Tricia Pebbles, enlists a stranger, Agnes, to be the face of her Better book series. When Agnes as Tricia Pebbles melts down publicly, this unsuspecting person must take matters into her own hands and better herself to be the new and improved Tricia Pebbles.

    *Full script available upon request*
  • Too Old To Be A Prodigy by Lauren Wimmer
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce, satire
    Kylie is turning seventeen and that’s horrible, because it means she is one step closer to never being a child prodigy. Her hand model mother, Cadence, doesn’t seem to understand. Kylie decides to take matters into her own hands by tricking the currently famous child prodigy, Ava Valancy, into coming to her house so she can no longer book anymore jobs. As her plan backfires, secrets are revealed and the...
    Kylie is turning seventeen and that’s horrible, because it means she is one step closer to never being a child prodigy. Her hand model mother, Cadence, doesn’t seem to understand. Kylie decides to take matters into her own hands by tricking the currently famous child prodigy, Ava Valancy, into coming to her house so she can no longer book anymore jobs. As her plan backfires, secrets are revealed and the question is asked: is age really everything?

    *Full script available upon request*
  • Divorce Party by Lauren Wimmer
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, farce
    Melanie and Eugene have a divorce party to prove to their friends that they are currently happy in their break-up. As the veneer starts to crack, the friends must face their own misgivings amidst a stuffed beaver and a cookie cake.

    *Full script available upon request*