Laurence Owen
Available

Laurence Owen

Theatremaker, Online FacillitatorNottingham, United Kingdom
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Pip Jamieson
Laurence Owen
Available

Laurence Owen

Theatremaker, Online FacillitatorNottingham, United Kingdom
About me
I am a theatremaker and online facillitator based in Nottingham, East Midlands. I have a 1st in Theatre and Performance from The University of Leeds, and I blend my theatrical experience with digital tools to create powerful, interactive experiences. I am currently fundraising for my one-man show about coming out as a trans man, during the first lockdown. It explores themes of feminism, internalised transphobia, and gender euphoria, it is presented over Zoom, and uses a number of clever hacks to create illusions and special effects, inside Zoom. I developed the first version of the show by myself, for my degree, and you can watch it here: https://stage.leeds.ac.uk/some-other-mirror/ I have also worked as a writer for Bobbit Worm Games, on their online Live Action Role Playing Game, Millenium Bugs, a series of online experiences where participants take on the role of characters living in a society where superheroes are marginalised and exploited for their powers. I developed an interactive detective puzzle in the form of a website, which participants were required to explore to get to the next stage of the game. While the email address and live chat do not work any more, the puzzles on the website can still be solved. Check it out here: https://achtungrockstarja.wixsite.com/kodwellbeing I have also worked as a technician for online conferences and workshops. In this role I use my extensive understanding of Zoom to streamline the presentation of content, such as music, presentations, breakout room activities, participant management.
Projects
  • Some Other Mirror
    Some Other MirrorThis is a 30-minute autobiographical show about coming out as trans during the first COVID lockdown. It delves into themes of feminism, internalised transphobia, and self love. It is a Zoom show like no other, featuring what appear to be conversations between myself, and clones of myself, live on the Zoom call, alongside the audience, using digital trickery behind the scenes.
  • Impromptunes: Improvisational piano in minutes.
    Impromptunes: Improvisational piano in minutes.Impromptunes is an interactive mobile web app that teaches people with no musical experience to play improvisational piano, and to question their ingrained ideas about what makes 'good' music. I developed it for The Leeds International Piano Competition, for their Leeds Piano Trail festival.
  • Knoll-Over-Dale Wellbeing Facility Has Been Hacked
    Knoll-Over-Dale Wellbeing Facility Has Been HackedThis was an interactive module that I designed and wrote for Millennium Bugs, an online LARP (Live Action Role Playing Game), by Bobbit Worm Games Ltd. Players are briefed that a wellbeing facility has been hacked by a mysterious entity, and their job is to explore the website to find out who this entity is, and why they decided to destroy the website of this strange facility. There are clues and ciphers hidden throughout the webpages that lead to secret pages, and deeper, darker secrets about K
Work history
    T
    T
    Immersive Technology ArtistThe Leeds International Pianoforte Competition
     - Leeds, United KingdomFull Time
    I designed and developed Impromptunes, a set of interactive tutorials that taught festival attendees the basics of piano improvisation. As part of this job I: - Researched music theory, piano skills, and local history of Leeds, and synthesised this research into a fun, educational experience. - Used my experience as a theatre improvisation teacher to write exercises that set players up for success, with clear explanations, simple creative boundaries, and an encouraging narrative voice. - Used web/software development skills to build the app in Visual Studio Code, using Twine, adhering to an Agile design process, using Jira to organise tasks and prioritise workflow.
Skills
  • Acting Performing
  • Acting Teaching
  • User Interaction
  • Facilitating Workshops
  • Conference Production
Education
    University of Leeds logo
    University of Leeds logo
    BA Theatre and PerformanceUniversity of Leeds
     - Leeds, United Kingdom
Awards
    University of Leeds logo
    University of Leeds logo
    Outstanding AchievementUniversity of Leeds
    Awarded for having the most impressive overall portfolio of my cohort.
    University of Leeds logo
    University of Leeds logo
    Best Independent Research ProjectUniversity of Leeds
    For having the most impressive undergraduate dissertation of my cohort.