Lauren Gunderson

Lauren Gunderson (born February 5, 1982) is an award-winning American playwright, born in Atlanta. She currently lives in San Francisco.

Gunderson earned her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Emory University in 2004, and her Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2009, where she was also a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship.[1]

She writes about women in science and history,[2] and comedies based on Shakespeare.[3]

She is married to virologist Nathan Wolfe.[4]

Theatrical credits

Gunderson's play Exit, Pursued By A Bear has been performed around the country, winning Best Comedy in Austin, Texas.[5]

Her play Émilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight, about the real-life 18th-century physicist Émilie du Châtelet was commissioned and developed at South Coast Repertory as part of their 2008 Pacific Playwrights Festival directed by Kate Whorisky. It was produced the following year directed by David Emmes. On 25 January 2011, it opened in West Seattle, at Arts West Theater. It is published by Samuel French, Inc. (2010).[6] Émilie received its European and British premiere in Oxford, UK during February 2014.[7]

Fire Work was developed at The O'Neill National Playwrights Conference at Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theatre Center in 2009.[8]

Gunderson's play Leap, about a young Isaac Newton, was produced by Theatre Emory in 2004, directed by Megan Monaghan.[9]

Her play Parts They Call Deep won the 2002 Young Playwrights National Playwriting Competition and was produced Off-Broadway by Young Playwrights Inc. as part of the young Playwrights Festival at the Cherry Lane Theater. "Parts They Call Deep" and Background won her the Essential Theatre Prize in 2000 and 2004.[10] Background, about physicist Ralph Alpher, was published by Isotope: A Literary Journal of Nature and Science Writing (2009, issue 7.2).[11]

The San Francisco Playhouse commissioned Gunderson's 2014 play Bauer about the artists Rudolf Bauer and Hilla von Rebay.

References

  1. ↑ "Graduate Fellowship – Lauren Gunderson". New York University Tisch School of the Arts. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  2. ↑ Jones, Chad (October 2013). "Heart and Mind". American Theatre Magazine. Retrieved October 2013.
  3. ↑ Brown, Joel (October 11, 2013). "Abuser, pursued by a comedy". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  4. ↑ Hamlin, Jesse (October 13, 2013). "Playwright at a prolific stage of her career". San Francisco Chroncile. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Exit, Pursued by a Bear". Playscripts, Inc. Retrieved February 27, 2015.
  6. ↑ Lauren Gunderson. "Emilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight". Samuel French. Retrieved 2014-03-24.
  7. ↑ Mike Taylor, ElevenOne Theatre presents Émilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight, 111theatre.co.uk, retrieved February 27, 2015
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "Emory University News Release - leap". Emory.edu. 2003-11-26. Retrieved 2014-03-24.
  10. ↑ "Atlanta's Essential Theatre New Play Festival & Playwright Competition". Essentialtheatre.com. Retrieved 2014-03-24.
  11. ↑

External links