Lauren was born in Chicago, where she began her career at four years old in commercials for Kraft Mac & Cheese, Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, Midas, and many more. Lauren made her professional theatre debut at age 12 in the Goodman's A Christmas Carol. As a teenager, she originated roles at Chicago Dramatists, and the Chicago Children's Theatre; in New York she appeared in a world premiere production at the Summer Play Festival of NYC. In Los Angeles, Lauren began her association with the award winning Rubicon Theatre Company when she played the title role in "Diary of Anne Frank" at age 14. She has appeared in six productions at Rubicon, receiving a Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Bus Stop; and winning a Santa Barbara Independent award for her portrayal of Emily in "Our Town." After studying at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting through NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Lauren returned to Los Angeles, where she appeared on the television shows "Arrested Development," "Switched at Birth," "Awkward," and "Still Not Famous," a webseries she co-wrote, co-directed, and recurred on as Jane. She continued acting in theatre productions, including Deaf West's Spring Awakening, which has since moved to Broadway; and the San Francisco developmental production of Home Street Home, the Broadway-bound punk rock musical from NOFX's Fat Mike, Goddess Soma, and Avenue Q's Jeff Marx. Lauren gained experience in directing at the Geffen Playhouse, where she assisted Maria Aitken with The Gift, and Matt Shakman with Wait Until Dark. In the spring of 2015, Lauren moved to New York to join the company of the Tony Award-winning musical Fun Home, making her Broadway debut understudying the roles of Medium Alison and Joan.
