About me
Laura Chaney serves as the Vice Chair of RED and is a theatre generalist at Cottey College. She earned her Master of Fine Arts degree from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. At Cottey, Laura works as a director, designer, and technical director, and she is currently the chair of the Theatre and Dance Department. Laura is particularly passionate about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) and chairs the B.R.A.V.E. committee at the college. She designed a social change track degree that emphasizes these principles within theatre. Additionally, she has presented on two panels at The American College Theater Festival: “Women as Arts Leaders: Lifting Each Other Up” and “Space Matters: Creating a Safe Space for Performers.” Laura has conducted workshops at her college on topics such as “Using Trigger and Content Warnings” and is scheduled to present a faculty development workshop in the fall of 2023 titled “Creating an Inclusive and Brave Classroom Space: Trigger Warnings, Stop Buttons, Pronouns, and Respect.” As a director, Laura seeks out new plays written by marginalized individuals, with a special focus on social justice themes. She has directed two holocaust plays, each time inviting a guest speaker from The Midwest Center for Holocaust Research to speak at the college. Her directorial work also includes plays that address social justice and equity themes, such as “This Changes Everything” by Joel Horwood, “Belfast Girls” by Jaki McCarrick, “Decision Height” by Meredith Dayna Levy, “Marian or the True Tale of Robin Hood” by Adam Szymkowicz, and “The Moors” by Jen Silverman. Laura has been married to her wife for seven years and has been in a relationship with her for 24 years. Together, they have two beautiful daughters, Abigail and Katie
