A typical Gunderson protagonist resembles her author: smart, funny, collaborative, optimistic—a woman striving to expand the ranks of a male-dominated profession. She is now married to a Stanford biologist whom she met when her agent suggested that she interview him to research a potential story. Her plays are less likely to end in a kiss than in a beautiful explosion of computer data.
All playing her song. Part 1 ends with an angel crashing through the ceiling. You could see Gunderson as an inheritor of these twin legacies, too, composing dramas where attention must be paid and creating a transcendent form that invites us to pay it willingly. Her father was the reverend at a progressive Southern church, and, just as science often serves as substitute religion for her characters, theatre seems to provide her own religious surrogate.
Beltline to Broadway: Do you view your plays as political plays or political theater and if not, how would you describe them? I hope they are political. I think part of what is certainly political now is the very act of going to see a play, which is challenging the way that our socialization in America works right now. That is the primal source of its power. It is a community builder. Every play of mine is a feminist story, even if there are more men in it than women.
LG: A lot of the stories are about progressive decisions, some of which are self-sacrificial for the greater good. And you know, I think theater, as a whole, tends to hold up examples of progressive values. I do think that theater and storytelling as a whole, might just be progressive in its DNA. I love those moments in theater. And their scene, I think is really gorgeous because it requires so much of that emotional rawness. And both plays, both Emilie and The Revolutionists have this kind of unfolding of truth and bravery.
One of the most common themes in my work is legacy and mortality and facing an end we all know is coming, but with grace and bravery.
Also, the big holy shit moments often break the structure, break the rules that you set up for the rest of the play. And they can be simple too. A play of mine, Silent Sky has a moment where a character drops something of great value. You have gasps from audiences for something as simple as that, which I love.
What do you mean by that and do you think that women in this industry, are at the forefront of a cultural shift in this somewhat male-dominated industry? LG: Yes. And I wonder what it would look like if literally, every position in American theater was a woman.
Theaters strive on diversity of all kinds and having inclusion of all kinds. But what would it be like if for the last hundreds of years, plays had been written mostly by women? Because men have been in charge, their concerns get addressed first. I hope that we can all continue amplifying the voices of women in the arts and of course all around the world.
In you earned the title of being the most produced playwright. And though the American theatre still has yet to program as many female playwrights as male playwrights, it is comforting to know that a playwright like Gunderson, and the 11 other female playwrights on our most-produced playwrights list, can have successful careers.
Below is our annual list of the most-produced playwrights of the new season across the U. We also removed any productions with fewer than two weeks of performances. How do you get to No. By being prolific. Support American Theatre: a just and thriving theatre ecology begins with information for all. Please join us in this mission by making a donation to our publisher, Theatre Communications Group.
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