Since shortly after they met at Eastern Michigan University, Linda and David Laundra began working together

Linda & David Laundra

Since shortly after they met at Eastern Michigan University, Linda and David Laundra have been working together. That meeting was over 35 years ago and the work continues. Their first film project was "Jean" based on a chapter from Mark Twain's Autobiography. Linda adapted and directed the award-winning 15 minute short and David produced and played the role of Twain's biographer. They co-directed a short entitled "Minds Apart" based on the writings of Anne Sexton and have begun work on a feature length film of her work. They also co-directed an original short film by Sacha Kenton, "Pisces" and are working on a documentary about Manhattan Plaza, a performing arts community in Manhattan.

In 1975 they founded The Writers Theatre, a company dedicated to assisting writers in the development of new works for the stage. Initially Linda was the Artistic Director and David was Producing Director. When Linda moved into television, David became Artistic Director. Over 17 years, the Writers Theatre produced nearly 40 new plays and assisted in the development of hundreds more. Linda adapted and directed two award-winning productions for the company: "The Gospel According to Mark Twain", which played in New York and in Scotland at the Edinburgh Festival, and "My Own Stranger" based on the writings of Anne Sexton. It played off Broadway at the Provincetown Playhouse winning the Downtown Villager Award, then toured the country. Linda was also given the Torch of Hope Award for her contribution to emerging theatre artists.

Linda and David also teamed together with The Theatre Guild for seven "Theatre at Sea" cruises. They managed every aspect of production for theatre cruises to the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Alaska. This unique program offered staged productions with celebrities like Helen Hayes, Patricia Neal, Richard Kiley, Lynn Redgrave, Colleen Dewhurst, Milo O'Shea, Ann Jackson and Eli Wallach, to name a few. They also worked with the Phoenix Theatre Company, Brooklyn Academy of Music and several regional theatres. Linda was a theatrical agent for three years, a casting director and stage manager.

In addition to dozens of productions on stage, David has acted in commercials and industrials, appeared on all the New York based soap operas; television series "The Jury", "OZ," "Homicide," "The Beat" and numerous films. His voice-over work ranges from numerous ADR sessions for TV, to documentaries and books on tape. David has always blended the technical with the artistic. He served as Technical Director, handling lighting and camera, for 26 half hour episodes of "The New York Theatre Review" on PBS. He taught Film and Television Production at the New York Institute of Technology. He has been a photographer throughout his career and his photographs have appeared in all the major New York papers. He does productions photos for LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts and is Resident Photographer for the American Globe Theatre.

Linda spent 12 years in Daytime Television as a producer and director. She began on CBS's "The Guiding Light" then moved to NBC's "Another World" and rounding out all three Networks, moved to ABC's "All My Children". She has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy as a director and as producer. Her directing has also been seen on NBC's "Homicide". She was selected by Disney Productions to observe on their sit coms in l997 and l998.

Linda and David teach "Acting for the Camera", "Multi-camera technique" and "Acting on Film" at Stonestreet Studios, a Conservatory of NYU's Drama Department; the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center; Connecticut College; Bucknell University; Weist Barron Studios; and traveled to Nova Scotia and Millbrook Studios in New Brunswick, Canada to teach weekend intensive workshops. They also created a theatrical Website for Levinson/Fontana's "The Beat", a television series for UPN.