Associate Artist/Facilitator
Lauren Spring, M.A.,is a professional actress, educator, workshop facilitator and creative director of Extant Jesters Theatre Company. Lauren holds a BFA in Theatre and Development from Concordia University, an MA in International Development from York University. Lauren also completed conservatory studies at physical Theatre school L’ecole Jacques Le Coq in Paris, France, and in September 2013 will be beginning the Ph.D. Program in Adult Education and Community Development at the University of Toronto (OISE). Lauren has been performing for and facilitating workshops with people of all ages for more than a decade now, using improv and theatre as tools for team-building, communication, creative problem-solving and social change. Lauren’s current research focuses specifically on the ways that improv theatre may help foster resilience after trauma. She works regularly with refugees and people living with mental illness, mood disorders, and addiction. Lauren also works part-time as an Adult Education Officer at the Art Gallery of Ontario.