Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Laura Schein. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Laura, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I love being an artist. Sure, it’s not the smoothest ride. But I’m here for it. And although there have been times I’ve felt the pull to jump off and get a “regular job,” I’ve always decided to keep going, keep striving. I think for most artists, what we do is woven into the very fabric of who we are. So it’s difficult to separate the artist from the human. I identify as an artist. And so that even if I were to get a “regular job,” I’d still be an artist and would bring artistry to whatever I do.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I was “born in the dressing room, raised in the wings” so to speak, and grew up working as a child actor in Chicago theatre. I got my Actor’s Equity card playing the Little Girl in the first national tour of the musical Ragtime. I still work as an actor in both theatre, film and TV, and now also have a career as a writer/lyricist. I co-wrote the award-winning musical Emojiland, and was a songwriter on the UglyDolls movie, Honor Society for Paramount+, and Mickey Saves Christmas for Disney. I’m currently co-writing a musical called Miss Hysteria that gives voice to females in the footnotes of history at a 19th century mental institution in Paris. It just received a reading as part of the ASCAP Workshop with Stephen Schwartz, and I’m super excited to continue on this creative journey.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is creating community. I love that with every project comes new friends and collaborators. As an actor, I just wrapped an indie movie in Park City, Utah with an incredible group of artists, a group of people I hope I will continue to work with again and again. As a writer, I love collaborating with actors, directors, and designers, and seeing stories come to life in new ways with new creative minds. I really look forward to growing and expanding my creative circle throughout my career.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
After a few years spent writing Emojiland, a musical about the characters inside our phones having a textistential crisis, The Emoji Movie was announced. A friend of ours texted us “Isn’t this your idea?” alongside the Deadline article about the idea being sold to Sony for $1M. In that moment we almost gave up. But we didn’t. We stayed the course, and a few years later opened Off-Broadway to rave reviews and a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Dream big, stay the course, and don’t let anyone dash your dreams.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thelillaura.com
- Instagram: @thelillaura
- Facebook: @thelillaura
- Linkedin: @lauraschein
- Twitter: @thelillaura
- Youtube: @thelauraschein
- Other: @emojimusical, @zeadmanandschein, @whatthefunc