Lauren Gunderson News

THE HEATH is a play of fierce life and easy laughter and the mysterious power of music and stories to move - and transform - our hearts.

Oak Park Festival Theatre (OPFT) announces an executive leadership transition, with Managing Director Jhenai Mootz, who has led the company since 2016, transitioning to the role of Artistic Associate. OPFT Artistic Associate Bryan Wakefield, will serve as Managing Director as of February 1, 2020.

The Santa Paula Theater Center kicks off their 35th season with Lauren Gunderson's comedy drama THE REVOLUTIONISTS from February 7 through March 15, 2020 on the Main Stage of the Santa Paula Theater, 125 South 7th Street (corner of Main and 7th) in downtown Santa Paula.

Epic Theatre Company is has reunited the team from its smash production of Lauren Gunderson's 'The Revolutionists' to produce the first major local revival of John Pielmeier's 'Agnes of God.' This searing story of a young nun faced with an impossible dilemma is sure to be the most talked about drama of the season.

Avant Bard Theatre has announced the full cast for the launch of their 30th Anniversary Mainstage Season, the Avant Bard Spring Repertory. The Rep features Avant Bard's long-awaited return to Tennessee Williams with Suddenly Last Summer, directed by Artistic Director Emeritus Christopher Henley.

THE REVOLUTIONISTS at ArtsWest is a revolutionary dream fugue of an implausible meeting of four great women during the French Revolution. They have individual battles and seek to better the world, yet find a way to support each other. Their imagined sisterhood is a fresh take on could happen if people work together and move beyond the stereotypes and labels that box us in. The show's tragi-comedy elicits both a chuckle and a sigh.

Pepperdine University's Fine Arts Division will present their production of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon on Tuesday, January 28 through Friday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, February 1, 2020 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Malibu Campus' Lindhurst Theatre.

A Noise Within (ANW), California's acclaimed classic repertory theatre company, is proud to present William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, directed by ANW Producing Artistic Director Geoff Elliott. The Winter's Tale will run Feb. 9 through Apr. 11, 2020 with press performances on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.  

San Francisco Playhouse announced casting for the second production of their 2019/2020 Sandbox Series of World Premieres: Born in East Berlin, written by Rogelio Martinez. Margarett Perry will direct the world premiere production, presented at The Creativity Theater.

The Pepperdine University Fine Arts Division announces several music and theatre performances, listed below, during the months of January through April 2020.

Reconnect with sisterhood, the stories that define us, and how we go about changing the world with a trip to see the THE REVOLUTIONISTS at ArtsWest for only $32 with the pre-sale code SISTERHOOD at checkout, on sale now for a limited time.

THE HEATH brings together the things that I love most: telling incredible stories and making music.

Lauren Gunderson was named the most produced playwright in the nation this year by American Theatre Magazine. It's no wonder given how engaging her characters are and how her stories brilliantly explore vital human stories. In the latest production from The Warehouse Theatre she turns the focus to herself and her extended family. Given that her grandfather, a prominent presence in the play, lived and worked locally, cities and other landmarks of the Upstate region play key elements in the show.

Starting off the new year, ArtsWest will stage the THE REVOLUTIONISTS, by Lauren Gunderson- a fearless comedy about a sisterhood of heroes, re-writing their stories amidst the French Revolution. Performances will run January 16, Thursday through Sunday, until February 9.                                                                        

How do you escape the shadow of your brilliant, infamous father? Do you pursue your own path, a path that leads to envisioning the first computer?  Or do you follow the norm - marry a suitable man and start a family? It may sound like romantic fiction, but it's not. This is the amazing story of Ada Byron Lovelace, in Lauren Gunderson's Ada and the Engine, which begins a 5-week regional premiere run at Stage West on Thursday, January 9.

Central Works 2020 Celebratory 30th Season begins February 15 and runs through November 15, 2020 featuring 4 new world premieres plays. The Central Works 30th Anniversary Season launches with world premiere #66, from the Central Works Writers Workshop. A new play about art and scandal, The Human Ounce by Nicole Parizeau running Feb 15a?"Mar 15 (Previews Feb. 13 &14).

The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley bestowed its own gift on Merrimack Repertory Theatre this week when it became the bestselling show in the company's 41-year history. The show closed on Sunday.

In a few short days, we'll usher in a new decade, and a new decade inevitably promises change.  Baby Yoda memes are going to get old.  The iPhone 11 Pro Max is going to be replaced by something newer and better.  And we are going to get a new president.  But there's one thing we can count on not to change with the new decade.  That's that this is a Jane Austen world.   We have the novels.  We have the film adaptations of the novels. We have the stage adaptations of the novels. We have the modern adaptations of the novels. We have the film adaptations of the modern adaptations of the novels.  And Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon's festive new Austen-inspired play, The Wickhams:  Christmas at Pemberley, now at Theatrical Outfit in an ably-acted new production, is a lovely addition to my favorite strain of Jane Austen offshoots a?" the what-happened-next story. 

This month, I had the pleasure of attending Arts Club's production of MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY at the Granville Island Stage in Vancouver. Written by playrights Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, the play features the characters from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice highlighting the love life of the middle Bennet sister: Mary. With her sisters Elizabeth, Jane, and Lydia all together again, Mary is reminded of how she is the only single Bennet sister at the Pemberley this Christmas. Although she takes pride in being on her own, Mary's love life takes an unexpected turn when a guest arrives to spend Christmas with the family. Playing from December 5th to January 4th, this show is perfect for a night out with loved ones during the holidays!

Due to popular demand performances for THE WICKHAMS: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY will now extend through January 5, 2020. Tickets available now!