Lauren Perry
Lauren Perry is a local actor, director, choreographer and costume designer. She is currently costume designing for Fort Myers Theatre and provided the costume and scenic design for Matilda the Musical.
On the acting side, she currently plays Mrs. Wormwood in Fort Myers Theatre’s production of Matilda the Musical. Her most recent stage credits include Sister Margaretta in Sound of Music at Fort Myers Theater. Prior to a 20-year hiatus, she appeared as Panic in Hercules the Muse-ical and Casey in Island Magic for Disney Cruiselines.
Locally, Perry is best known as a director and choreographer.
Most recently, she directed and choreographed Descendants, Seussical Junior and
Alladin Kids for the Alliance for the Arts Youth Theatre, where she also choreographed and costume designed Cabaret. Prior to the COVID pandemic, Lauren provided the choreography at the Alliance Youth Theatre for a handful of shows, beginning with Spamalot the Musical (where she took the reins after her predecessor moved on midway through rehearsals), The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Princess Camp and Pippin the Musical. Lauren also provided an assist with Freckleface 
Strawberry.
Perry’s choreography is informed by more than two decades of dance.
“My mom co-owned a dance studio. I started dancing while I was still in the womb,” she quips.
But in truth, she was already teaching dance and doing choreography by the time she was 14.
“My father was a drama teacher and he used to call me in to choreograph all of his middle school productions. When I got 
into the Cypress Lake Center for the Arts, I would help out doing the choreography there too.”
While she was in high school, she worked as an entertainer for the Walt Disney Company, and upon graduating from the Center for the Arts, Lauren received a contract on the Disney Cruise Lines and performed on the Disney Wonder for two years. Working for an entertainment company like Disney provided Perry with so many great learning experiences, but none exceeded the fundamentals and fine points that she learned 
when she got the chance to help workshop a brand new show for the cruise line.
“They brought in Broadway choreographers and we put together the show from start to finish,” recalls Perry. “That was the biggest learning experience of my life. Even on days I wasn’t called, I came in just so I could observe and soak it all in. I even sat down with the wig people so I could learn how to do wigs.”
After her stint with Disney ended, Lauren returned to Fort Myers and began teaching.
In addition to dance experience, Lauren has her degree in early childhood education and has worked teaching Pre-K and 1st -6th grades for several years in both private and public schools. She has also taught and competed professionally in ballroom dance with Fred Astaire franchised studios.
June 14, 2024.
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.