Four Theatres Co-Commission Lauren Gunderson LITTLE WOMEN

In a unique creative partnership, four regional theaters have jointly commissioned playwright Lauren Gunderson to adapt the classic novel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This new theatrical work will enjoy a “rolling” world premiere with four independent productions occurring between 2024-2026 in each of the partnering theaters' home locale.

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women by Lauren Gunderson is the first co-commission partnership between City Theatre Company (Pittsburgh, PA), Northlight Theatre (Skokie, IL), People's Light (Malvern, PA), and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (Palo Alto, CA) and represents an example of how regional nonprofit producers continue to adapt to post-pandemic financial realities while exploring new partnerships that allow for the continued investment in the commissioning of new work for the stage. All four theaters have a history of producing plays by Ms. Gunderson.

The original idea for this commission originated with People's Light Producing Artistic Director Zak Berkman pitching the idea of a new adaptation based on Alcott's famous novel – which was first published in two parts in 1868 and 1869 – to Gunderson, a frequent artistic collaborator, in 2023. After receiving an enthusiastic response, Berkman reached out to fellow artistic leaders BJ Jones (Northlight), Giovanna Sardelli (TheatreWorks), and Clare Drobot and Monteze Freeland (City Theatre) to gauge interest in pooling resources to cover the cost of the commission. Through this agreement, each producing organization is considered an “originating theater” and will have the opportunity to be the first to receive producing rights and enter into a separate licensing agreement with Ms. Gunderson.

“There's nothing quite like the joy of receiving an email from Lauren Gunderson that starts with ‘Oooooh I love this idea!' That was her response when I first reached out about her adapting Little Women,” stated People Light's Zak Berkman. “I am so grateful Lauren leapt at this idea and this coalition of wonderful theatres could gather together to make it a reality. We are thrilled to be partnering with everyone.”

 A draft of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women has been completed and the script will receive a development workshop at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley in September 2024 before the initial Rolling World Premiere production will occur at Northlight Theatre this holiday season, with performances November 29 – December 29, 2024 in a production directed by Georgette Verdin. Subsequent productions will follow at TheatreWorks, City Theatre, and People's Light. In July, a reading of the new script was presented by Ms. Gunderson as part of the “Summer Conversational Series” sponsored by Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, a museum in Alcott's family home and located in Concord, Massachusetts.

 Playwright Lauren Gunderson shared the following about her adaptation of Little Women:

“Little Women was one of the very first plays I did in Middle School. I played Jo, of course, and since then I've always had an adaptation of my own in mind. Alcott is such a radical storyteller, even as her work is often misunderstood as simply sweet Americana. I wanted this adaptation to be as spritely, robust and surprising as Alcott and her work. Louisa May Alcott's Little Women blends the rebelliousness of both Alcott and her semi-biographic heroine Jo into a version with all the romance, wit and brazenness of the novel but the fresh agility and intimacy of the stage. 

“I'm so honored and overwhelmed by the support of all four of these iconic American theaters to bring this adaptation to life. It's a collaboration and community that playwrights dream of.”

The Bay Area-based Ms. Gunderson has consistently been ranked as one of America's most-produced playwrights according to data compiled by Theatre Communications Group, most recently for the 2022/23 season.  She has been previously produced by all four partner theaters.

 "Northlight has been honored to commission and produce Lauren Gunderson's work, beginning with all of the Christmas at Pemberley plays, so when Zak called to gauge our interest in Lauren's Little Women it was a delightful decision," commented Northlight Theatre Artistic Director BJ Jones. Previous plays by Ms. Gunderson produced at Northlight include the Christmas at Pemberley trilogy co-authored with Margot Melcon: Miss Bennet (2016), The Wickhams (2019), Georgiana & Kitty (2022); as well as  The Book of Will (2017).

Said TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Artistic Director Giovanna Sardelli, “TheatreWorks is thrilled to serve as one of Lauren's artistic homes in the Bay Area, continuing our longstanding support of her incredible work. We look forward to collaborating with these powerhouse theaters to bring a fresh new look at this cherished classic to stages across the country.” TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, recipient of the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award, staged the regional premiere of Gunderson's Silent Sky in 2014. Her hit Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, which was launched in TheatreWorks' Writers Retreat ahead of its rolling world premiere at Northlight Theatre, Marin Theatre, and Round House Theatre, will be presented at TheatreWorks this holiday season, performing December 4-29, 2024 at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto, CA. Gunderson is a recipient of a commission from TheatreWorks' Susan Fairbrook Playwright Fund.

"This really is a dream team of theatrical collaborators,” shared City Theatre Co-Artistic Director Clare Drobot. "We are thrilled to deepen our relationship with Lauren and foster new artistic ties with People's Light, Northlight, and TheatreWorks Silicon Valley." City Theatre is Pittsburgh's leading producer of contemporary plays, now entering its 50th season. It has previously produced Lauren Gunderson's The Revolutionists (2017) and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (2023), and presented her Covid-era virtual work, The Catastrophist in 2021.

About Louisa May Alcott's Little Women by Lauren Gunderson

In 19th century New England, ambitious Jo, traditional Meg, gentle Beth, and spirited Amy grow up balancing their sisterly bonds with their distinct personalities. With their father away at war, the March sisters are nurtured by their wise and selfless Marmee. In a time marked by societal expectations, their love and shared feminine strength bind them through hardships, friendships, romantic entanglements, and inevitable losses. Captivating readers for generations, this beloved classic shines in an all-new stage adaptation. A timeless tale of family, resilience, and a determined young writer finding her way in the world.

About the Playwright

Lauren Gunderson is one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015 topping the list thrice including 2022/23. 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 the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and John Gassner Award for Playwriting, and a recipient of the Mellon Foundation's Residency with Marin Theatre Company. She studied Southern Literature and Drama at Emory University, and Dramatic Writing at NYU's Tisch School where she was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. She is the author of Broadway bound play Billie Jean, about tennis icon Billie Jean King.  Her play The Catastrophist, about her husband virologist Nathan Wolfe, premiered digitally in January 2021. She co-authored the Miss Bennet plays with Margot Melcon, and The Half-Life of Marie Curie premiered off-Broadway and at Audible.com. Her work is published at Playscripts (I and You; Exit Pursued By A Bear; The Taming and Toil And Trouble), Dramatists Play Service (The Revolutionists; The Book of Will; Silent Sky; Bauer, Natural Shocks, The Wickhams and Miss Bennet) and Samuel French (Emilie). Her picture book Dr Wonderful: Blast Off to the Moon is available from Two Lions/Amazon. She is the book writer for musicals with Ari Afsar (We Won't Sleep), Dave Stewart and Joss Stone (The Time Traveller's Wife), Joriah Kwamé (Sinister), Kait Kerrigan and Bree Lowdermilk (Justice and Earthrise), and Kira Stone (Built for This). She is a board member of The Playwrights Foundation

About the Commission Partners

Founded in 1975, City Theatre is in its 50th season as Pittsburgh's home for bold new plays. Located in the historic South Side on its four-building cultural campus, the company produces a season of regional and world premieres; its Young Playwrights Festival, now in its 25th year; a season-long reading series of new works in progress; and special events. Over the course of its history, City Theatre has produced over 85 world premieres and launched the Kemp Powers Commission Fund for Black Playwrights. City Theatre's mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays that engage and challenge a diverse audience. Its vision is to be the best mid-sized theater in America. Organizational core values are: Community; Collaboration; Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility; and Creativity. Clare Drobot and Monteze Freeland serve as co-artistic directors alongside managing director James McNeel. With a full-time staff numbering 26 and an annual average operating budget of $3.5 million, City Theatre is the largest performing arts organization located outside of Pittsburgh's downtown Cultural District. It is a proud member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), Theatre Communications Group (TCG), and the National New Play Network (NNPN). CityTheatreCompany.org

Northlight Theatre is one of the largest and longest-running nonprofit theaters in the Chicago area, currently located in Skokie, Illinois at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. Founded in 1974, the organization has mounted over 220 productions, including more than 40 world premieres. Under the leadership of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, Northlight produces five mainstage productions each season, delivering a mix of enjoyable, intelligent, and inspiring work with powerful, fresh perspectives. In addition to the mainstage season, programming includes development of new works, audience outreach and community engagement programs, and a comprehensive arts education program for underserved middle and high school students. Northlight aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community. As one of the area's premier theater companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality. Northlight.org

Founded in 1974 and celebrating its 50th Season, People's Light serves as one of Pennsylvania's most accomplished professional non-profit theatres, known for its company of artists, wide array of productions, and innovative work with young people. Located in Malvern, PA, at the crossroads of suburban, urban, and rural communities, People's Light is a cultural and civic center with theatre at its core, inviting and creating opportunities for diverse communities to discover and celebrate our shared humanity. We present stories drawn from ancient times through tomorrow that have direct relevance to our communities and their concerns. In support of this range, we produce classics and contemporary plays and musicals, as well as commission and produce new work: of our 452 productions, over a third (171) have been world or regional premieres. PeoplesLight.org

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, led by Artistic Director Giovanna Sardelli, presents a wide variety of contemporary plays and musicals, revitalizes great works of the past, and serves more than 100,000 patrons per year. Founded in 1970 by Robert Kelley, TheatreWorks has grown from a truly original Silicon Valley start-up to become one of the nation's leading professional non-profit theatre companies. TheatreWorks was honored as the recipient of the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award. TheatreWorks also champions new work, offering artists support and a creative home as they develop new stories for the American theatre. Offstage, TheatreWorks' arts engagement programs uplift its audiences and strengthen community bonds. Onstage and off, TheatreWorks welcomes the mosaic of people that embody the Bay Area and beyond, celebrating the transformative power of theatre to ignite imagination, inspire conversation, and enliven souls.

Photo Credit: Mark Kitaoka

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