Lois Weaver (born October 26, 1949, Roanoke, Virginia)[1] is a Guggenheim-winning American artist, activist, writer, director, and Professor of Contemporary Performance at Queen Mary University of London.

Active for over four decades, she is the founding member of significant New York theatre companies Spiderwoman Theater (1975), Split Britches (1980) and WOW (Women's One World Cafe) (1980).

After graduating Weaver began involved in activism against the Vietnam War, moving to Baltimore to work for a peace and justice center.

In the mid 1970s, Weaver moved to New York where she worked in a fish market and in Special Education in public schools while pursuing a performance career.

[citation needed] In 1980, along with Peggy Shaw and Deb Margolin, Weaver founded Split Britches, an award-winning company who use theatricality to create work that centers on lesbian and queer identities.

[8][9] Weaver has had productive collaborative relationships with theatre and performance artists Holly Hughes, Bloolips founded by Bette Bourne,[10] Curious,[11] and Stacy Makishi.

[citation needed] Weaver's social design work is housed in the Public Address Systems project, which creates hospitable spaces for open conversation.