Our mission

Nashville Story Garden creates intimate, honest, provocative theater in Nashville.  We nurture new plays and reimagine classics by exploring all that is passionate, exuberant, hilarious, deep, and dangerous in the human spirit. We are driven by fearless and innovative ensembles; work that directly reflects the gender, age, race, sexuality, and politics of our participants.

Meet the team

LAUREN BERST

co-Artistic Director

Actor, producer and director.

With Nashville Story Garden, Berst has appeared in The Welkin, Love Song, Dance Nation, and If You Forget Me as well as producing and directing the pop up new play festivals. In Nashville she has also been in shows with The Theater Bug, Nashville Rep, the Nashville Opera, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Kindling Arts Festival, Studio Tenn, and Nashville Shakespeare Festival.

Berst moved to Nashville after living in New York for over 15 years where she worked primarily on new plays Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway.

A long time voiceover actor, Berst can be heard on numerous TV commercials, promos, narrations and audiobooks, as well as the Mr. Mysterio Podcast. On-camera, she can be seen on the Ultimate Wing-Woman Challenge (which she co-wrote, co-directed and co-produced) and is the co-star of the webseries Settling Up.

B.F.A. from the University of Evansville, an M.F.A. from the National Theater Conservatory.

www.laurenberst.com

TAMARA TODRES

co-Artistic Director

Actor, producer and pie baker from Chicago, IL.

While in Chicago, she worked with many companies including Curious Theatre Branch, the side project, and Red Tape Theatre. Since moving to Nashville, she produced and appeared in Ironbound, Dance Nation, and If You Forget Me with Nashville Story Garden and The Strange and Rosemary and Ginger with Chicago Talking Machine Co. Other recent acting credits include If You Forget Me (world premiere - Lean Ensemble Theatre), Big Love (The Party), Primary User (Ingram New Works Festival), Slasher (Verge), and The Mr. Mysterio podcast. She received her BA in Acting from Illinois State University and studies with Corey Parker. She is also the lady behind Pie Now, a small pie baking business in Nashville. 

MARK LEMLEY

Mark is fantastic writer and host of Story Garden’s Greenhouse nights. Mark was the creative mind behind the Mr. Mysterio Podcast. Voted Best Barista of 2023 by the Nasvhille Scene!

Meet the BOARD

Nancy VanReece - President

Aaron Muñoz - Vice President and Founder of Nashville Story Garden

Tamiko Robinson Steele - Treasurer

Jude Mason - Secretary