MEET THE TEACHERS
Lauren Lazell, Founder and Director of the Young Actor's House, grew up in the Los Angeles area which offered her an abundance of opportunities to experience many facets of the entertainment industry such as film making, television shows, theatrical stage productions and local ensemble groups. She became a well-rounded performer as she performed in countless films, plays and productions.
In her college years, Lauren studied musical theatre at The Boston Conservatory, but discovered that she should enhance her theatrical experience. So, she transferred to the renowned New York University's Tisch School of the Arts to pursue acting through the Atlantic Theatre Company studio and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre.
Upon her return to Los Angeles, Lauren pursued acting while actively seeking a career in the casting industry. Her career plans flourished as she began as a casting assistant to Suzanne Goddard-Smythe on Paramount's hit TV show "Girlfriends." Lauren worked with Suzanne to assist in CW's "Girlfriends" as well as casting such pilots as CBS' "Rules of Engagement," ABC's "Carpoolers," and CW's "The Game." Her gift in spotting talent led to her advancement in the Los Angeles casting office for HBO's hit 7 part mini-series "Generation Kill," at the side of casting director Alexa Fogel. Next, Lauren got involved in casting numerous critically acclaimed feature films such as "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" with Josh Hutcherson, John C. Reilly and Salma Hayek, "Management" with Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn, "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" with Michael Cera and Kat Denning, as well as "Five Dollars a Day" with Christopher Walken, Sharon Stone and Allesandro Nivola.
Because of her solid reputation and accolades in the industry, Lauren was invited to teach many master classes and workshops in Los Angeles at such studios as the prestigious Beverly Hills Playhouse, The Actor's Key, Actorsite, Actors Source, and Rossi-Snyder Theatre Lab, to name a few.
After marrying her husband CJ, Lauren followed family to McKinney, where she now resides. She has two beautiful daughters, Olivia Rose and Charlotte Grace. Lauren teaches acting classes through her school, Young Actor's House, and privately coaches students for upcoming film, TV or stage auditions. She also tapes actors for auditions in her state of the art studio.
Lauren is honored to bring her expertise of stage, film and the Hollywood entertainment industry to help shape actors of the greater North Dallas region!
For Lauren's full casting resume, please visit http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2030309/
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Jonathan Murphy, a Professionally credited Actor, Screenwriter, Producer and Director was born and raised in Arlington, Texas. Jonathan began his career as an actor, making the rounds at Dallas, Arlington & Fort Worth area theaters. While studying Theater at Texas Christian University, he gained scholarship to the Model and Talent Search of Texas, where out of over 500 hundred attendees, Jonathan was one of the two actors signed by Wargo/Einfeld Management out of Los Angeles. In his more than 15 years in the entertainment business, Jonathan has appeared on such prime time hit shows as American Dreams, Judging Amy, Without a Trace, Ghost Whisperer, Cold Case, NCIS: LA, and House M.D. as well as the independent feature films Mini’s First Time, Ready or Not, Broken Windows and The Trail to Hope Rose. It was on ABC’s cult-hit October Road which Jonathan made an name for himself in the industry, starring opposite Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Tom Berenger, Geoff Stults, Bryan Greenberg and Laura Prepon. Following October Road, the same producing team brought Jonathan aboard as a series lead for ABC’S Life on Mars, where he starred opposite Gretchen Mol, Jason O’Mara, Emmy Award winner Michael Imperioli and Oscar nominee Harvey Keitel. In 2011, Jonathan formed his own production company, Hollow Tree Productions, producing and directing the short films, Pull the Trigger, Mr. Wicker, starring Jonathan, Lindy Booth and Erin Daniels and The Public Domain in 2013. Jonathan followed up the short films, serving as Producer and Director for the original Reality-TV pilot, Little Leading Ladies for Desert Wind Studios. In the summer of 2016, Jonathan served as Producer and Screenwriter for Hollow Tree Production’s full-length feature, Animal Among Us, set to be released world-wide in 2019. Currently, Reloaded Films and Murphy are set to co-produce the Sci-Fi screenplay, BluStella (by Murphy) in 2019. Jonathan is also currently serving as a producer on Nick Guthe’s family thriller, The Speed of Dark and the faith-based feature screenplay by Murphy, A Broken Bridge, starring Kellan Lutz.
Lilla Crawford is currently recurring on HBO Max's Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. She also recently wrapped a guest star on CBS' drama series Bull. Lilla was a series regular on Netflix’s The Who Was? Show; starred in the recent ABC pilot, Relatively Normal; and voiced the lead role of Sunny in Nickelodeon’s animated series, Sunny Day. Lilla made her feature film debut as Little Red in Disney’s film adaptation of Into the Woods opposite Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp. She made her Broadway debut as Debbie in Billy Elliott and then was cast from a nationwide search of over 5,000 young performers in the title role of the 35th anniversary revival of Annie directed by James Lapine. Television credits include Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS), Blue Bloods (CBS), and Forever (ABC). Lilla recently graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Film and TV Production at the Tisch School for the Arts.
Cory Phillips is a highly accomplished actor with over a decade of experience in the film and media industry. He burst onto the scene through his exceptional improv skills and honed his craft at the prestigious Second City. The troupe he founded, Take One, has performed in well over a thousand shows to date.
With a relentless dedication to developing his abilities, Cory has established himself as a versatile performer with a wide range of skills, including on-camera acting, voice-over work, martial arts, teleprompter proficiency, comedy, hosting, and MCing.
As a testament to his talent and hard work, Cory has landed numerous high-profile roles throughout his career, including leading the charge in a 400+ episode children's show "Konnect", as well as starring in two Lionsgate films, "Ghoster" and "The Fantastic Pet".
Cory's impressive portfolio also includes a breakout role in the hit series "The Chosen" and “Lioness”, which marked his SAG debut. He has since lent his voice to over 100 anime titles with Crunchyroll, cementing his place as an industry mainstay.
Cory's passion for acting is only matched by his love for all things nerdy. He is a regular guest at conventions across the nation, relishing the opportunity to interact with fans and share his enthusiasm for the genre. When not working, you can find Cory on his motorcycle or diving deep into a game of DnD.
Emily Huffines has been training at Young Actor’s House for close to 10 years now. She attended Belmont University in Nashville, TN, and received a BFA in Motion Pictures with an emphasis in screenwriting. Emily loves both the in front of and behind the camera aspects of the industry. From acting in several commercials and short films to writing and directing her own, she has gained a vast knowledge and understanding of the entertainment industry. She has a passion for working with child actors and has even directed a few kids who have gone on to star in a Netflix movie and a show on BET. Emily is excited to work and mentor the next generation of actors and hopes to work in children’s programming in some capacity in the future.
Danielle Yoshiko Phillips is an actor, voice actor, and improviser based in Dallas, TX. You might recognize her from Walker on The CW or Hostage House on Netflix. Anime fans will know her voice from shows like One Piece, Blue Lock, and Skeleton Knight in Another World.When she’s not behind the mic or on camera, Danielle performs with Take One Improv, a comedy troupe that travels the country bringing laughs to pop culture and anime conventions. She sharpened her improv skills at Second City and trained with talented teachers from The Groundlings, iO, ComedySportz, and The Magnet.Before diving into acting full-time, Danielle earned a Journalism degree from Texas Tech University and worked as a reporter and producer.