←Recommendations of The Heath

  • James Binz: The Heath by Lauren Gunderson
    “

    My goodness. So many feels. So many turns. Lauren Gunderson creates, no re-creates, a world of sadness and glory and life. What a wonderful theatrical experience! A new format, a new form and a new, but many told, tale. Extraordinary. Brava!

    My goodness. So many feels. So many turns. Lauren Gunderson creates, no re-creates, a world of sadness and glory and life. What a wonderful theatrical experience! A new format, a new form and a new, but many told, tale. Extraordinary. Brava!

    ”
  • Jillian Blevins: The Heath by Lauren Gunderson
    “

    Banjo + Shakespeare = perfection. I was lucky enough to see this piece performed at MRT in 2018. Gunderson’s metatheatrical autobiography invites us into her very real struggle to reconcile her conflicting feelings about her grandfather, with whom she shared a deep connection but differed from in many important ways (his holy text is the Bible; hers is Shakespeare). The storm of Lear’s madness is a powerful metaphor for her grandfather’s Alzheimer’s, and Gunderson’s transformation into first Cordelia and then The Fool allows her to try to enter his world and get answers about their...

    Banjo + Shakespeare = perfection. I was lucky enough to see this piece performed at MRT in 2018. Gunderson’s metatheatrical autobiography invites us into her very real struggle to reconcile her conflicting feelings about her grandfather, with whom she shared a deep connection but differed from in many important ways (his holy text is the Bible; hers is Shakespeare). The storm of Lear’s madness is a powerful metaphor for her grandfather’s Alzheimer’s, and Gunderson’s transformation into first Cordelia and then The Fool allows her to try to enter his world and get answers about their relationship.

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    ”
  • Samantha Marchant: The Heath by Lauren Gunderson
    “

    Resonated on many levels, this script reaches for connection.

    Resonated on many levels, this script reaches for connection.

    ”
  • Angels Theatre Company: The Heath by Lauren Gunderson
    “

    There is something stark and simple about Lauren Gunderson’s The Heath. It is theatre and storytelling in its most raw and honest format. It is messy, rough, strange, unfinished, and “meta” (really meta). However, to call this play meta-theatrical is at once accurate and overly simple. For, in telling this story, Lauren exposes her vulnerability and her fear as a playwright and as a grand-daughter. It is not a typical hackneyed or gimmicky meta-theatrical statement on the postmodern situation of the theatre as a whole, but a way of story-telling that is deeply personal, fundamentally...

    There is something stark and simple about Lauren Gunderson’s The Heath. It is theatre and storytelling in its most raw and honest format. It is messy, rough, strange, unfinished, and “meta” (really meta). However, to call this play meta-theatrical is at once accurate and overly simple. For, in telling this story, Lauren exposes her vulnerability and her fear as a playwright and as a grand-daughter. It is not a typical hackneyed or gimmicky meta-theatrical statement on the postmodern situation of the theatre as a whole, but a way of story-telling that is deeply personal, fundamentally revealing, and altogether beautiful.

    read more
    ”
  • Cheryl Bear: The Heath by Lauren Gunderson
    “

    A moving musical journey along the road to walking through Alzheimers with a loved one. Beautifully done.

    A moving musical journey along the road to walking through Alzheimers with a loved one. Beautifully done.

    ”
  • Emily McClain: The Heath by Lauren Gunderson
    “

    As always, Gunderson's blending of science, literature, and interpersonal connections creates a beautiful mosaic of the human experience. This play is an intense emotional journey and anyone who has a complicated relationship with a loved one but still held that loved one's hand as they walked a lonely road of aging and dementia can relate to Lauren's experience. People are complex creatures, y'all.

    As always, Gunderson's blending of science, literature, and interpersonal connections creates a beautiful mosaic of the human experience. This play is an intense emotional journey and anyone who has a complicated relationship with a loved one but still held that loved one's hand as they walked a lonely road of aging and dementia can relate to Lauren's experience. People are complex creatures, y'all.

    ”