Lauren Gunderson
The University of Central Arkansas will proudly host playwright Lauren Gunderson as an artist-in-residence on February 10-11.
Gunderson has been one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015, topping the list thrice including 2022/2023. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will, the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award, and a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and L. Arthur Weissberger Award. She is a playwright, screenwriter, musical book writer, and children’s book author who lives in San Francisco. She graduated from NYU Tisch as a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship.
“We are very excited to host playwright Lauren Gunderson,” said Kristina Coggin, staff collaborator in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “Her plays span a wide range of topics and interests—women in science and history, disability studies, medical humanities, adaptation, Shakespeare, Austen, Whitman and more—that can connect well with a variety of students, faculty and community members.”
Gunderson’s residency offers a unique opportunity for UCA students, the arts and theatre communities, and other interested parties to get an inside look at her work as an artist and a significant contemporary playwright.
The residency will include three events:
- February 10: “An Evening with Playwright Lauren Gunderson” 7 p.m., McCastlain Hall 143
- February 11: Master Class: “Writing Plays from the End to the Beginning” (open to all UCA students), 10:50 a.m. to 12:05 p.m., McCastlain Hall Fireplace Room
- February 11: “Revolutionary Women: Women and Science in the Works of Lauren Gunderson,” co-moderated by Taine Duncan, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, and Kristin Dooley, Department of Chemistry, 1:40 p.m.-2:30 p.m., McCastlain Hall 143
This residency is sponsored by the UCA College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024-25, the UCA Artists in Residence program is funded by UCA arts fees with additional support from Engage Management and Pyramid Art, Books, and Custom Framing. These events, unless otherwise noted, are free to UCA students and open to the public. No tickets are required. Events are located on the UCA campus, 201 Donaghey Ave, Conway, AR 72035. For more information about the UCA Artist in Residence program, visit https://uca.edu/cahss/artists-in-residence/ or contact Gayle Seymour, associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at (501) 450-3293; gayles@uca.edu.
