Laura Irish is a dual citizen of the United States and New Zealand, boasting nearly two decades of experience as an actor, improviser, director, dialect coach and producer across theatre and film in New Zealand, Australia, and the USA. Her creative ethos revolves around joy, adventure, and a celebratory spirit, driving her to craft unapologetically high-quality and innovative content for theatre, film, and XR mediums.

As the creator and Artistic Director of The Barden Party, an award-winning international touring company, Laura seamlessly blends Shakespeare with live music, casting improvisers as core actors. The Barden Party recently won Best Theatre/Physical Theatre -Week 1 of the 2024 Adelaide Fringe for their heart-felt, high energy version of Romeo & Juliet. She previously served as the Artistic Director of The People's Republic of Improv in New Zealand and was a founding board member of the New Zealand Improv Trust in Wellington. She began improvising 20 years ago in St. Louis, Missouri, USA as a part of the Laugh Masters. 

With decades of teaching experience, Laura is passionate about showcasing the wonderful and valuable aspects of improv to actors, while demonstrating to improvisers how commitment and naturalistic acting can elevate comedy to groundbreaking levels. Her collaborative ventures include co-creating the critically acclaimed immersive theatre experience, Butterfly Smokescreen, alongside Jim Fishwick of Jetpack Theatre Co., showcasing her prowess as a theatre creator and improv enthusiast. She recently relocated to Melbourne after 16 years in New Zealand and was recently the Assistant Director and American Dialect Coach of Melbourne Shakespeare Company's The Whale and is currently creating the Barden Party's bluegrass version of Macbeth.