Rob Lauer is an award-winning playwright, theatrical and television director, actor and TV talk show host.

Rob’s first play, “Digger,” won the 1982 Mayhew Award; was produced to critical acclaim that same year, was published in 1988, and republished in 2013. In 1990, he became the first playwright to win both the Best Play of the Year Award (for his satire, “Tom and Penny’s Yard Party”) and the Paul T. Nolan Award (for his urban drama, “The Church Street Fantasy”) at the Deep South Writers conference.

In 1998, the Richmond Shakespeare Festival commissioned Rob to write the original script for the outdoor drama, “First Landing: 1607.” In 2003, he was commissioned to write the historical musical, “First Freedom,” with Emmy-Award winning composer Sam Cardon. In 2013, the Cherokee Historical Association/Unto These Hills commissioned him to write the musical, “Chief Little Will.”

Rob's other professionally produced and published plays include the musical, “My Jo” (based on the works of Louisa May Alcott), “The Emperor's New Clothes,” “Huck Finn,” the comedy “Geeks & Gangsters” (inspired by the true story of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster—the Cleveland teenagers who, during the 1930’s, created Superman) and the critically-acclaimed musical, “A Southern Christmas Carol.”

Rob's New York City theatrical credits include: three years as an actor with the acclaimed Prince Street Players; four years as Artistic Director of Sail Productions, Inc.; two years as Head Writer/Production Manager of MGA Films, Inc., and three years as Artistic Director of Cotton Hall Productions. From 2002 through 2005, he served as Artistic Director of “Swamp Gravy”—the State of Georgia's Official Folk-Life Play. From 1997 through 2003, he served as Associate Director of the nation's oldest and largest annual outdoor drama,“The Hill Cumorah Pageant” in Palmyra, New York.

Since 2011, Rob has been producer and host of two TV shows, “Portsmouth Now” and “Museum Moments,” on PCTV—the official television channel of the City of Portsmouth.

A graduate of Brigham Young University, Rob has taught playwriting, screenwriting, acting, theatrical design and theatrical directing at University of the Pacific (Stockton, California), Colorado State University (Fort Collins, Co.) and Western Wyoming College (Rock Springs, Wy.). His 2015 production of “The Hobbit” at Colorado State University won two Kennedy Center Awards.