Laura Jones Macknin is a Chicago-based actor who begins her bio with the pedestrian observation that she fell in love with theatre at an early age.
But really, I did.
I grew up with mom’s stories of Canadian repertory theatre and making films in Old Montreal and William Shatner for God’s sake. What’s not to love? My first theatrical experience is a vivid memory (age five): A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Goodman. While th
ere is a very real possibility this memory was driven more by feathered fairy costumes than iambic pentameter, still: love at first view.
Years of actual performance in “semi-professional children’s theatre” (Ado Annie! a very young Golde!! Snoopy!!) followed. College (University of Chicago, BA and MA) was an academic retreat, but some wounds go too deep – and theatre cast her deadly lure.
So. For the past 30-ish years I have worked on Chicago stages (current shout-outs to SMC and Idle Muse.) Roles have included many of Shakespeare’s bad girls, a couple of good ones, one highwaywoman and (most recently and delightfully), a serial killer vampire. I have also been privileged to help develop new works for the stage, including plays by Coby Goss, Mia McCullough, Penny Penniston, Ann Noble and Michael Dalberg.
And obviously (this is Chicago after all), I am the artistic director of one of those black box theatre troupes: Shakespeare’s Motley Crew, SMC. Chicago storefront is the stuff of legend – and SMC has its history (food poisoning and IRL pregnancy in King John, live road flares in Duchess of Malfi, light board explosions in Taming of the Shrew, costumes set alight in a Lakeview alley for Comedy of Errors).
With the on-set of adulthood (the joining of the unions) my work has taken me farther afield – regional theatre, VO work, film projects and in fact, LA.
Mostly however, I can be found biking in and out of Ravenswood with my very beloved William Sidney Parker and as many cats as Sid will allow.
And we still make SMC!