Laura Marchant, 30; Her Theater Group Provided Alternative Views of Feminism

Laura Marchant, co-founder of the loud*R*mouth Theatre Company, a now-defunct Long Beach-based theatrical ensemble known for producing plays that provided alternative views of feminism, has died. She was 30.

Marchant died April 29 at home in Los Alamitos of complications of inoperable brain cancer, her family said.

A 1999 graduate of the theater arts department at Cal State Long Beach, Marchant co-founded the loud*R*mouth Theatre Company in 2000 with Emily Duval, a fellow Cal State Long Beach graduate.

The company, for which Marchant served as a director and actor as well as a producer, staged plays that dealt with issues such as homelessness, racism and eating disorders.

From 2000 to 2003, Marchant and Duval also co-produced the annual V-Day presentation of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” at Cal State Long Beach, under the aegis of the loud*R*mouth Theatre Company.

During their four productions, Marchant and Duval raised more than $20,000 for local charities concerned with domestic violence. V-Day is a global initiative to end violence against women.

“Laura was really a driving force in bringing the V-Day organization to Southern California, and her dedication to the cause was really inspiring,” said Duval, who described Marchant as “a really dynamic, very strong personalty.”

Born in Des Moines on May 18, 1975, Marchant moved to Yorba Linda with her family in 1988. She graduated from Los Alamitos High School, where she participated in the Orange County High School of the Arts program. She later attended, among other schools, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, then located in Pasadena.

The loud*R*mouth Theatre Company disbanded in the summer of 2003, two months before Marchant was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor.

She is survived by her mother, Kate Van Fleet of Los Alamitos; her father, James Marchant of Placentia; and her sister, Ellen Marchant of Golden, Colo.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. June 3 at the Studio Theatre at Cal State Long Beach.