Laley Lippard is a director, dramaturg and producer dedicated to advancing social justice through art making. Lippard has developed new plays, directed and collaborated across the country at theaters such as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Guthrie Theater, Intersection for the Arts, American Conservatory Theater, Court Theatre, Arena Stage, TheatreWorks, Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, Alliance Theater, Round House Theatre, Magic Theatre, Cleveland Play House, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Her direction of the World Premiere "All Things Equal: The Life and Trials of Ruth Bader Ginsburg" is currently touring the country.

Lippard directed two feature films, one of which premiered in NYC’s 1st Irish Festival ("In the Middle of the Fields"). Lippard was the co-founder and executive producer of the Chicago Home Theater Festival, a city-wide event that celebrated hyper-local culture, built intentional community across lines of difference, and disrupted injustice.

Lippard has taught and directed at Stanford University, Northwestern University, Hampshire College, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Maryland BC, and Case Western Reserve MFA Acting Program. Lippard holds an MFA in directing from Northwestern University. 

Areas of Expertise

Directing; dramaturgy; devising; acting

Courses Recently Taught

This course examines how theater differs from other arts and how various theatrical artists bring a play to life. Through a series of creative assignments, we explore what a play is and how it's structured. Assignments consist of a series of playwriting projects and one acting project, which students perform while collaborating with their classmates. Students read at least five plays and a series of essays about the theory and practice of he theater. Each student writes, directs and presents a final short play and takes a final exam. Any student with an interest in the theater will find this a challenging course, regardless of previous experience. Because this course is an introduction to the vocabulary of the theater, it is a prerequisite to most other courses in the department. This counts toward the drama and film majors. No prerequisite. Offered every year.

Through the rehearsal and performance of various scenes, students explore the nature of the actor's contribution to the theater. Work includes performance exercises, readings and written assignments. This counts toward the elements of theatre art requirement for the major. Prerequisite: DRAM 111. Offered every year.

This course presents a study of the actor's methods of analysis of a text and development of a completed characterization. Students rehearse and present a series of scenes in various stages of development, leading to a complete understanding of a major role from dramatic literature. This counts toward the elements of theater art requirement for the major. Prerequisite: DRAM 220. Generally offered every other year.

Individual study in drama is reserved for students exploring a topic not regularly offered in the department's curriculum. Typically, the course carries 0.5 unit of credit. To enroll in an individual study, a student must identify a member of the department willing to direct the project and, in consultation with him or her, write a proposal. The department chair must approve the proposal. The one- to two-page proposal should include a preliminary bibliography and/or set of specific problems, goals and tasks for the course; outline a schedule of reading and/or writing assignments or creative undertakings, and describe the methods of assessment (e.g., a journal to be submitted for evaluation weekly; a one-act play due at semester's end, with drafts due at given intervals; and so on). The student also should briefly describe prior coursework that qualifies him or her for this independent project. At a minimum, the department expects the student to meet regularly with the instructor one hour per week and to submit an amount of work equivalent to that required in 300-level dance and drama courses. Students are urged to begin discussion of their proposed individual study the semester before they hope to enroll, so that they can devise a proposal and seek departmental approval before the deadline.