laney Schwantes

Laney Schwantes is a production manager and stage manager based in New York City. Originally from Melbourne, Australia and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Laney’s career began on the school playground where she directed her own more interesting versions of whatever play she was acting in at the community theatre. Finding their passion for theatre management in high school, Laney pursued stage and production management at Fordham University’s Theatre Program, taking on leadership roles such as MainStage Season Audition Coordinator, Clerical Program Manager, and Student Ambassador to Design and Production Faculty.

Laney has managed eleven productions at Fordham, including production stage managing the premiere of Rajiv Joseph’s Horoscope, directed by May Adrales. They have also served as the 2024 production management apprentice at Theatre Aspen and assisted the production management team at The Vineyard Theatre this spring on Bowl EP. 

As a theatre manager, Laney is passionate about facilitating work that celebrates authentic, diverse stories that enrich our social consciousness and evoke radical empathy. Leading with a spirit of collaboration, she continually strives to facilitate a holistic artistic process and shared culture of empathy within her team.