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 was
raised outside of Washington, DC and holds a BFA in Illustration/Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She has performed
across the United States, in Canada and Europe and has created
an adventurous round of skills, experiences, and knowledge
which can assist almost any client in a variety of capacities.
This "Renaissance-woman" (pardon the pun) approach
is what makes Lauren's work thrive with producers, clients,
guests, and other artists.
Lauren's performance development,
production management, and design bring an exceptional
edge to events. Guests and clients are dazzled by being attended
so deeply. Event managers know that their event's goals are
paramount. Lauren brings together the event goals plus creative
flair to make each event memorable for all: managers, clients,
and guests.
Comment from
another artist on an international event:
"...Not only [is Lauren] a rock solid professional ...[She's]
a great example of someone with a positive outlook, that looks
to impact folks on a daily basis. That was great to watch
and to see what care [she] took in making that happen..."
- Performance:
performing staged and interactive entertainments
- Creative:
print design, web design, branding, hand-painted signs/banners,
costume design, prop design, small-scale video editing
- Production:
production management, stage managing, technical assistance, logistics, troubleshooting,
facilitation, production planning, DVD planning
Highlights:
Highlights of her
entertainment background include attending Ringling Brothers
and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, touring in unusual
performance and stunt companies, and performing at Renaissance
Festivals throughout North America in solo, duo,
and company shows. She was certified with the Society of
American Fight Directors and has also been praised for her
work as a fight captain. Lauren even owned the now-defunct fire-safety company "Bonomo's Grace", a consulting company for
environmentally-safe fire retardants for the film and stage
industries, with business partner, fire-stuntman Mick Kipp.
She performed in her
own fire-eating
stage show at the Excalibur Casino in Las Vegas,
NV, and has been a popular corporate-event entertainer in that
city and in various regions in the United States. Lauren toured
for several years through colleges and universities with her
one-woman dangerous-feat act, and was one of the few variety
entertainers invited to perform at the 1997 Presidential
Inaugural Balls.
She has performed
at numerous regional fairs, festivities, and
events, with her skills which include fire-eating,
bullwhips,
stilts,
circus skills, escapes, Western
arena arts, face
illustration, and character work. She occasionally
performs with Jim Frank in numerous shows, including the
award-winning "WhipFlash!"
stage show. One of the highlights of WhipFlash's career was
being featured on the
Steve Harvey Big Time
television show, where millions of viewers were able to see
comedy and expert whip-targeting.
She also performs
multimedia motivational presentations using fire, as seen in
her website FireInspire.
These presentations take the corporate speaking world by storm,
because the combination of verbal coaching, multimedia presentation,
and the dangerous art of fire-eating (presented in an artistic,
not a carnival manner) has never before been introduced!
International
Clown Festivals
Clowning is a 2000-year-old
tradition which goes farther than the American idea of birthday
parties or circuses. Clowning encompasses physical and emotional
dexterity, poignancy, and skill at reaching an audience. In
2007, Lauren performed at the first clown festivals in China:
first a week-long international clown event in Liuzhou, southern
China, and then in October, four weeks in Shanghai. What was
extraordinary about China's journey into clowning was that China
does not have a tradition of clowning, interactive theatre,
or "theatre of the absurd": the Chinese people were
truly groundbreaking to observe and join into this new form
of theatre - to great response and enthusiasm.
That's
Lauren performing as Chaplin's comic
genius.
Costumes and
Props
Lauren's skill set,
thanks in part to her deep love of themed events and also to
her artistic talents, provide her (and her clients) with creative
costumes and hand props for her performances. Lauren's personal
costume closet has enough variety and detail to satisfy any
client. She has designed costumes for Living Statues, historical
characters, historical-looking characters, themed events,
stilt pants, creative carry-bags, microphone pouches, airbrushed
costumes, enlivened thrift-store finds to be excellent performance
clothing, and more.
 Creative,
Design, and Production Management
Lauren previously
managed
and produced shows for an entertainment
production company; her duties range from overseeing talent,
designing and fabricating costumes and props, arranging details,
planning production logistics, and designing
print and web marketing materials. Lauren also has been
painting professional banners
for 5 years, and has recently been working with
airbrush
for makeup and
other creations.
Lauren's artistic and planning skills have provided design, marketing, video
editing, facilitation, and professional promotional assistance
to other excellent performers and producers.
Behavior Improvement, Coaching, and Facilitation
In the past 6 years,
Lauren has used her non-performance hours for a new role: behavior-modification
and improvement coaching, whereby she frequently consults for
clients looking to improve their lifestyle, workstyle, communications,
stress- and time-management. She is a certified health coach
and Wellcoach, using scientifically-proven methods of facilitation
and coaching to assist people into doing their best processes.
Her company is called
Physical
Mind; Lauren writes articles, consults to individuals
and companies, and her self-published book is due in the marketplace
soon. She has also lectured to companies and groups on communication,
working with guests, gaining confidence in speaking to strangers,
working with employees, and self-efficacy. She has coached many people through project planning and execution.
It is this sense of complete understanding, forward-thinking, facilitation, and communication which also makes Lauren a valuable producer, art director, and even performer. The integration of aesthetics, logistics, and coordination create a powerful synergy between the production, the clientele, and Lauren herself.
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 "Shanghai Daily": Lauren Muney is featured in a newspaper article about Charlie Chaplin and also about her project film, "Chaplin Returns to Shanghai". Click on the above image for the PDF of the article.
 Lauren
Muney and Jim Frank are featured in Episode 105 of Steve Harvey's Big
Time Show on the WB Network. Taped in 10/03,
there were 4 airdates for the rest of the season and into the next season.
Lauren's
"Tableaux Al Fresco" picture is featured in Annapolis, MD's "The Capitol" newspaper, 12/12/00
 Jim
Frank
and Lauren Muney appeared on Baltimore's high-rated morning news-feature
program, "Rise and Shine" with Don Scott and Marty
Bass, 11/15/00. They performed in support of the American Dime
Museum, the only sideshow and novelty museum in the United
States. They are recognized in public places through the
Baltimore area now just from this segment alone.
Jim Frank and
Lauren Muney were on "The CBS Early Show", 10/10/00.
CBS wanted unusual standout personalities from
Renaissance
Festivals, and they featured Jim. They came to the Maryland
Renaissance Festival in September to film the
WhipFlash!
show live, and also came to their house for some more personal
touches.
 "Talk Soup" on the
cable network E! Entertainment took the CBS story and ran Jim Frank's (and
Lauren Muney's) segment, with the comment from anchor Beth Littleford,
"Gee, we never knew that Renaissance England had such
nerds": 10/16/00. This IS the big time to be parodied on Talk Soup.
 The Washington Post
[Washington, DC and online] featured
Lauren Muney and Jim Frank in an article about the Renaissance
Festivals, 9/14/00.
"Good Day Dallas
[TX]" interviewed Lauren
Muuney live in studio, for a full segment PLUS
fire-eating: 5/99.
Dallas
Morning News
runs a front-page photo with small article about
"WhipFlash!" performing in Waxahachie, TX. 5/98
St. Joseph [MO] News-Press
runs a huge photo of Jim Frank blowing fire in WhipFlash!
performance at "Trails West!" festival, 8/98
Photos of Lauren eating fire
are featured in an article in Discovery Channel Magazine
on
spontaneous human combustion. Fire stunts and effects are rigged by
Lauren Muney, Jim Frank, and Mick Kipp of Bonomo's Grace, Lmtd.
1/95
Time-Life
Books, "Library of Curious and Unusual Facts" (vol.
"Odd Jobs") featured Lauren
Muney's fire-eating profession
in its section on Risky Professions. 1/93
release date.
The
Washington Post did articles on both Jim
Frank and Lauren Muney, in 9/93
and 8/92 respectively.
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