The Playwrights Database
LAUREN GUNDERSON
(1982 - )
Nationality:
USA
email:
Click here to contact
Website:
Click here
Literary Agent:
The Gersh Agency, NY
Lauren is a NYC (by way of Atlanta) playwright, screenwriter, short story author, and actor. Her work has received national praise and awards including the Berrilla Kerr award, and has been produced off-Broadway (PArts they Call Deep), off-off Broadway (Sus Manos), recently had many new plays produced in Atlanta (including Leap, Background, Van Gogh Cafe), as well as regionally (embody). She is currently working on a second commission for South Coast Rep, and written commissions for the Alliance Theatre's Collision Project, actors express Theatre, City University of New York, and Synchronicity Performance Group. Her play Leap is published with Theatre emory's Playwriting Center, and her first collection of plays Deepen the Mystery: Science and the South Onstage was published with iUniverse. She has developed plays with the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, Kitchen Dog Theatre in Dallas, actor's express in Atlanta, JaW/West in Portland, WORDBride, Brave New Works, and others. Her short story the ascending was recently awarded the Noremberga Short Fiction award and is included in the forthcoming collection, the Shape of Content. She has spoken nationally and internationally on the intersection of science and Theatre at conference all over the world. She has her Ba, from emory University, her MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and is a Reynolds Fellow in Social entrepreneurship. She is interested in science, history, feminism, and global humanism.
Research: Member of the Dramatists Guild of America (as at 2015)
Buy Plays with Doollee
Each page of doollee.com has links to play/book outlets, either directly to the Publisher, through Stageplays.com and Amazon to the second hand and 1st editions of AbeBooks. These links will automatically take you to the relevant area obviating the need for further search.
AbeBooks.co.uk
AbeBooks.com
Stageplays.com
amazon.com
amazon.co.uk
amazon.ca
whether you are a Playwright who wishes to make their entry definitive, an unlisted Playwright or a User with a tale to tell - we want to hear from you.
download WORD submission template
Ada and the Memory Engine
Synopsis:
Ada Lovelace (1815-1852): countess, metaphysician. . .computer programmer! Estranged daughter of the flamboyant and notorious leader of the Romantic Movement, Lord Byron, young Ada only knows her father through his poetry-nothing more than a haunting memory from the past. But Ada sees the future in the "analytic engines" of her friend and soul-mate, Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. A gifted mathematician in her own right, Ada alone foresees the boundless creative potential of Babbage's engine. As she writes the first computer program, Ada envisions a whole new world where art and information converge-a world she will not live to see.
Notes:
pecial music composed by: The Kilbanes
1st Produced:
Central Works at The Berkley City Club, 2315 Durant, Berkley
17 Oct 2015
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
biographical play
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Amazing Adventures Of Dr. Wonderful And Her Dog, The !
Synopsis:
there are no puzzles in space, right? Wrong! Space is one giant puzzle waiting to be put together by physicists, astronomers, and a brainy girl who goes by the name Dr. Wonderful. Fly through the solar system with Dr. Wonderful and her amazing adventure team of Newton (the dog) and Ben (the human) in this all-new musical! Saving a super star from disappearing is no small task, especially when the star is 1.3 million times the size of earth and 93 million miles away. But when Dr. Wonderful receives the call, her team leaps into action from their laboratory/bedroom into outer space. With a couple of butterscotch candies and a rock song from Mom in the mix, the mystery solvers are amazed by their final discovery. Girl-detective-noir meets science-geek-chic in this super cool astronomical event! For age 6 and up.
Notes:
Book And Lyrics by Lauren Gunderson, Music by Brian Lowdermilk
1st Produced:
The Kennedy Center, 2700 F Street Nw, Washington, Dc.
15 Oct 2011
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
childrens' musical 60 min
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Background
Synopsis:
Based on the true story of New York Cosmologist Dr. Ralph alpher. the play moves backwards, as does the study of the origins of the universe, to trace the path of the forgotten and unaccredited scientist, who before the technology was capable, provided the mathematical proof of the existence of Cosmic Background Radiation. Twenty years later after two other scientists found the actual radiation and received Nobel Prizes for their accidental discovery, Ralph suffers a heart attack due to the stress of being snubbed. It is from this moment he traces backwards through his life and, ultimately, to the beginning of time. the play relies on silence, pace, and metaphor to deliver a striking, sometimes mystical look into the science of behind humans, and the humanity behind a scientist.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Essential Theatre
2005
Organisations:
essential Theatre
1st Published:
iUniverse.com,
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Drama - science Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Bauer
Synopsis:
Love. Art. Defiance. The visceral and visual true story of forgotten modern artist Rudolf Bauer, struggling with his fading place in the history of art as his paintings are removed from the walls of the Guggenheim Museum. Why did he stop? Imprisoned by the Nazis, he sketched on scraps. His fiery love affair with Hilla Rebay (Guggenheim curator) lasted a lifetime. The Guggenheim was built to house his work. Why did the genius that survived all that suddenly stop painting?
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
San Francisco Playhouse
22 Mar 2014
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY (2015)
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Class
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Embody
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
New Phoenix Theatre, Buffalo, New York
2007
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Emilie: La Marquise Du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight
Passionate. Independent. a great beauty. a prodigious scientific intellect. these are the qualities that inspired this story of 18th century Parisian noblewoman emilie du Chatelet and her lifelong affair with the enlightenment superstar Voltaire. In this highly theatrical rediscovery of one of history's most intriguing women, emilie must defend her life by tallying her achievements in Love and Philosophy-and searching for a formula that will convince the world of her worth.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
South Coast Rep, Costa Mesa, California
24 Apr 2009
Organisations:
South Coast Rep
1st Published:
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Exit Pursued By A Bear
Synopsis:
Nan has decided to teach her abusive husband Kyle a lesson. With the help of her friend Simon (acting as her emotional -- and actual -- cheerleader) and a stripper named Sweetheart, she tapes Kyle to a chair and forces him to watch as they reenacts scenes from their painful past. In the piece de resistance, they plan to cover the room in meat and honey so Kyle will be mauled by a bear. Through this night of emotional trials and ridiculous theatrics, Nan and Kyle are both freed from their past in this smart, dark revenge comedy.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Synchronicity Theatre, Atlanta, Ga
01 Mar 2011
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
revenge comedy
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 2 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Fire Work
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Rehearsed Reading At Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, Waterford
09 Jul 2009
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Happy Elf, The
Synopsis:
tells the story of eubie, a North Pole elf who always wears a smile. eubie's overly optimistic outlook is put to the test when he decides to bring Christmas joy to the sad little town of Bluesville, which has fallen into a state of permanent blues. If eubie can fix Bluesville, he may win a coveted spot on Santa's sleigh team.
Notes:
Based on the book by Lauren Gunderson And Andrew Fishman; Music And Lyrics by Harry Connick, Jr
1st Produced:
The Parilla Performing Arts Center, 51 Mannakee St, Rockville, Md.
01 Nov 2010
Organisations:
Produced by adventure Theatre and Montgomery College
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Musical
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Heath, The
Synopsis:
Award-winning playwright Lauren Gunderson traces the life and lineage of her WWII veteran grandfather, who battled dementia, alongside the myth of King Lear, who grew old, went mad, and wandered out onto the heath. Performed by the playwright with a banjo, this moving original work is part play, part personal essay, part banjo musical. The Heath, described by Gunderson as a living piece of theatre, grapples with birth and death, madness and regret, while celebrating family, connection, music and the power of a good story.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Synchronicity Theatre, at Peachtree Pointe, 1545 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA 30309
25/2016
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
workshop production
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
I And You
Synopsis:
One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline's door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound due to illness, Caroline hasn't been to school in months, but she is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic, sensitive, and popular. As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together. I and You is an ode to youth, life, love, and the strange beauty of human connectedness.
Notes:
[reading] South Coast Repertory's Pacific Playwrights Festival, Costa Mesa, CA (Apr 2012)
1st Produced:
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
https://www.playscripts.com/play/2698
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
drama 90 min
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Leap
Synopsis:
LeaP, a historical and scientific fiction, opens with Isaac Newton returning home. enter Brightman and Maria Bains, ages 16 and 12, two girls with a plan and a job with seemingly universal and timeless importance of which Isaac is to play a major role. the mystery girls (muses? angels? messengers?) approach him and offer him their curiosity and creativity in exchange for his participation in games. after grudgingly agreeing a cold-shouldered Isaac finds that the girls and their games inspire the brilliance we still celebrate. as their work together becomes more intense Brightman realizes that she has unorthodox feelings for her "student", and tricks both Isaac and Maria. as his creativity heightens Isaac begins to want more than his share of knowledge - a desire that, if Brightman were to humor, could rock the entire course of human thought.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Theatre Emory
2004
Organisations:
Theatre emory
1st Published:
iUniverse.com,
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Drama - history, science Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Parts they Call Deep
Synopsis:
In response to a series of personal crisis, Sarah takes her daughter and mother on a spontaneous road trip to Florida. Not wanting to leave her life forever but enjoying new freedom, Sarah is oblivious to Emma's confusion and spitefulness concerning her parent's separation. Thrown into the journey is Emma's grandmother, Bea, who is "among other things, very sick" with a broken heart - from the loss of her husband and high blood pressure. after a brief episode of Bea's heart arrhythmia, Emma tries to contact her Father from the road and almost succeeds in reuniting her parents. But Sarah's pride blinds her to Emma's needs. Traveling further and further from reality, Alex plays all the men in all the three women's lives: Emma's admirer, Bea's late husband, Sarah's late brother, and finally as a stirring mix of all three. Alex uncovers parts of the women even they didn't know existed.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Essential Theatre
2002
Organisations:
Young Playwrights Inc., essential Theatre
1st Published:
iUniverse.com,
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Drama - comedy Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Peter Pan and Wendy
Synopsis:
Girl power
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Shakespeare Theatre Company, Washington D C
2019
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Drama
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Revolutionists, The
Synopsis:
True story? Total fiction? You'll have so much fun deciding. Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution. At the height of the Reign of Terror, playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, activist Angelle Oge and former queen Marie Antoinette hang out, plot murder and try to beat back extremist insanity in Paris. This world premiere fantasia by one of the country's most exciting young playwrights considers how we actually go about changing the world.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
06 Feb 2016
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
comedic play
Parts:
Male: - Female: 4 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Rock Hill: Southern Gothic
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Rehearsed Reading At Lieberman Theatre, Mill Valley, Ca
23 Sep 2009
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Short History Of Nearly Everything, A
Synopsis:
adapted from Bill Bryson's award-winning science book, this 45-minute play exudes a funny, fast, bumbling race for knowledge. einstein, Newton, Curie, and Darwin lead you through a little bit of everything to prove that science - whether atomic or cosmic, flora or fauna, mineral or movie star -is really all about "you."Great for middle and high schoolers, great to add to your science curricula, OR inspire general interest in the science.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Actors Express Theatre
2006
Organisations:
actors express Theatre
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
educational theatre for young audiences Youth audience
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: 4
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Silent Sky, The
Synopsis:
When Henrietta Leavitt begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn't allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women computers, charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in girl hours and has no time for the women's probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman's place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women's ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. Social progress, like scientific progress, can be hard to see when one is trapped among earthly complications; Henrietta Leavitt and her female peers believe in both, and their dedication changed the way we understand both the heavens and Earth.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Segerstrom Stage, Costa Mesa, Ca
01 Apr 2011
Organisations:
South Coast Repertory
1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY (2015)
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
full length drama
Parts:
Male: 1 Female: 4 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Sus Manos
Synopsis:
On the eve of the first rebellion in the Mexican Revolution of 1910, an American filmmaker arrives on Marco Marcado's hacienda in the outskirts Oaxaca, Mexico. Marco's hacienda is the region's biggest producer of a sweet Mexican liquor called pulque. Christian plans on making a Mexican-American version of Othello. Marco found Lolita, the main actress, at a familiar brothel in the city; a fact that enrages his wife Julia. Marco, an elitist misogynist, is an example of Diaz's administration's, giving all the power to a few while the rest suffer in poverty. as the film progresses, the story of Othello and the story of the hacienda intertwine and parallel. Meanwhile, Julia rages against Lolita, who tries to make Julia understand their power if united. eventually they make a pact: they will befriend each other in order to get back at Marco. as their game gains momentum the two women begin to sincerely connect, eventually finding the beginning of real love.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
Flying Fig Theatre
2005
Organisations:
Flying Fig Theatre
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
Drama - history Play/Drama
Parts:
Male: 3 Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Taming, The
Synopsis:
Tweetering, pandashrews, and undying giddiness for James Madison -- what else could you expect to find at a Miss America pageant? In this hilarious, raucous, all-female "power-play" inspired by Shakespeare's Shrew, contestant Katherine has political aspirations to match her beauty pageant ambitions. All she needs to revolutionize the American government is the help of one ultra-conservative senator's aide on the cusp of a career breakthrough, and one bleeding-heart liberal blogger who will do anything for her cause. Well, that and a semi-historically-accurate ether trip. Here's lookin' at you, America.
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
ArtsWest, Seattle, WA
02 Oct 2013
Organisations:
Crowded Fire Matchbox Commission and Rolling World Premiere with ArtsWest (Seattle, WA) - See more at: http://www.crowdedfire.dreamhosters.com/2013-on-the-mainstage/the-taming-by-lauren-gunderson/#sthash.sie5byhe.dpuf
1st Published:
https://www.playscripts.com/play/2735
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
comedy 85 min
Parts:
Male: - Female: 3 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Toil And Trouble
Synopsis:
Three overeducated and underemployed San Franciscans are desperate to beat the recession. Adam has a lot of ideas, but most of them involve inventing some kind of robot. then he hits upon a foolproof plan: take over a tiny South American island nation and shear its rare miniature vicuna inhabitants of their ridiculously soft wool that can fetch a fortune on the black market. He enlists the help of his roommate, Matt, and their friend, Beth, for whom both Adam and Matt have the hots. Alliances form, friendships are tested, and someone dies. Did we mention this was a comedy?
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
La Val's Subterranean, 1834 Euclid, Berkele
Nov 01 2012
Organisations:
Impact Theatre
1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
comedy
Parts:
Male: 2 Female: 1 Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page
Van Gogh Cafe, The
Synopsis:
-
Notes:
-
1st Produced:
-
Organisations:
-
1st Published:
-
Music:
-
To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies
Booksellers:
Genre:
-
Parts:
Male: - Female: - Other: -
Further Reference:
-
Top of Page