The second of three daughters of Bruce and Jeanette Laughton, Verity Laughton has a BA from the University of Adelaide (1973) with Honours in English, and a Graduate Diploma in Library Studies (SAIT 1975). She worked as a librarian in the State Library of South Australia from 1976-1977. From 1976-1978 Laughton co-edited a small literary magazine, Ash Magazine, and over the years she has worked as a freelance editor, script assessor, arts administrator, dramaturg and writing tutor. This has included co-editing the 4th issue of Tarantella (1994), running a prison writing workshop for Vitalstatistix (1994), writing a curriculum module for TAFE on Writing for the Stage, and teaching in Flinders University's English and Drama Dept. since 1996 and the Adelaide College of TAFE since 1997.
Laughton has had various responsibilities at Adelaide Festivals' Writers Weeks (1982-1986), and has run writing courses on Kangaroo Island and in the Riverland. She has been involved in several aspects of work with children. She wrote video scripts for the Department of Education and Children's Services (1995-1996), was tutor in short story writing for the Come Out Festivals 1995-1999, and has created works for the dance company Outlet Dance (see below).
Laughton was funded by the Literature Board as Writer-in-Residence for the Patch Theatre Co in 1991 and was Co-ordinator for Backstares Theatre 1991-1992. In 1996 she was dramaturg for Cirkidz and the Unley Youth Theatre. For a number of years Laughton was involved as a Board member with the Australian National Playwrights' Centre (1991-1997) and the Patch Theatre Co (1992-1995) and was a member of the South Australian Branch of the Australian Writers' Guild. In 1991-1992 she was a member of the Central Region Cultural Authority Arts Grants Advisory Board.
She has been an advocate for mandatory programming quotas aimed at gender equity in theatre productions.
