Mission

Tiny Engine Theatre was created to explore the boundaries of theatre in the Triangle. We believe that an open door approach and a commitment to respectful collaboration can empower emerging voices, new faces, and stories from unexpected sources. As a result, we act as an engine of possibility to the greater creative community, producing unique theatrical experiences that move artists and audiences alike.

The Company

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Laurel Ullman, Co-founder

Laurel is an actor, director, and occasional playwright.  She studied theatre at UNC-Greensboro and spent 12 years on Triad stages performing with companies such as Touring Theatre of NC, Paper Lantern, and Twin City Stage.  She has called the Triangle home since 2013; she met Paul Sapp when he cast her in Magnitude of the Slope at North Raleigh Arts & Creative Theatre. Credits include Into the Breach with ArtsCenter Stage, Contractions and Small and Tired with Common Wealth Endeavours, The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls with Manbites Dog, and 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche and Cloud 9 with Tiny Engine. 
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Paul Sapp, Co-founder


​Paul is a transplant to the Triangle, having relocated from New Jersey. He has worked with Axis Theatre and the Children's Theatre Association in Baltimore, as well as NRACT in Raleigh. For Tiny Engine he has directed Hearts Like Fists, Recall, and 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche.  He has written original works for Collective Hole Productions and the Tennessee Project in New York. Among his favorite credits are Completely Different Birthing Stations, I Never Saw Another Butterfly, and Magnitude of the Slope. Paul is a graduate of Loyola University in Baltimore, where he was cofounder of the Poison Cup Players. Away from the theatre, Paul is a freelance writer and stay-at-home dad to two kids.