Laura Woody
actor & singer
I am Laura, American, actor (Roosevelt University, ACT - San Francisco, Ecole Jacques Lecoq- Paris), singer (The Barettes, GUM-Universal Publishing).
I love to teach people how to really listen to each other and how to get a partner to really be present with you.
WHAT DO YOU DO APART FROM IMPRO ACADEMY?
I am in several touring shows, ('L’Insolent Roland Garros', ‘Mummy’s Dead, Long Live Mummy’, I also perform with New, the Improvised Musical in French and English and am a member of the Improfessionals. I do lots of voiceovers and sing with Les Jingle Belles at Christmastime and am working on an original play about Marie Curie and Isadora Duncan and what it means to be a mother and passionate woman at the same time. I am also raising two amazing girls!
WHY DO YOU LOVE IMPROVISING?
Because you can never forget your lines! And there is always an element of danger and surprise- it’s never ever boring!
Can you share an unforgettable moment during an improv show?
I called someone Gerard once…once. No seriously, some of the best moments for me have been in rehearsal rooms when you have the presence of mind to be creative but not the pressure of performing. We did a closing number once where three of us were playing sisters and were all executed, it was very dark and very cool.
Your favorite Improve quote?
I don’t know what this means…not sure I know what an “improve” quote is… and if it’s improv quote I don’t have one of those either. If it’s just a quote this is one of my favorites from my favourite author, James Baldwin
An artist is a sort of emotional or spiritual historian. His role is to make you realize the doom and glory of knowing who you are and what you are. He has to tell, because nobody else can tell, what it is like to be alive.
