I and You
by Lauren Gunderson

Highlights

Female

Male

90 mins Present Day Multicultural Casting Interior Set Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes Comedy

Synopsis

One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline’s door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass , an urgent assignment from their English teacher.

Homebound due to illness, Caroline hasn’t been to school in months, but she is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic, sensitive and popular.

As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks a much deeper mystery that has brought them together.

I and You is an ode to youth, life, love and the strange beauty of human connectedness.

Press Reviews

"Sharp and funny. Gunderson taps into a buoyant spirit... the touching ‘barbaric yawp’ (Whitman’s phrase) of these two deeply engaging kids."
— Washington Post

"By the close, Gunderson has guided us toward a sublime transfiguration that encompasses Leaves of Grass, John Coltrane, Jerry Lee Lewis, space and time, bodies and spirits, death and rebirth."
— The New Yorker

"A validation of the human experience and of the triumph of life over death. Gunderson’s gift is the best thing a play can offer: we might be better people after seeing it."
— DC Theatre Scene

"The striking twists and turns along the progression of the rapid-paced work are astonishing, breathtaking, and mind-blowing."
— DC Metro Theater Arts

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
ANTHONY A boy, 17. He is neat, poised, mature for his age. African American. He’s an A student, a team player, a nice guy. He’s not really great around girls. He takes his homework very seriously. When he likes something (jazz music), he is all in. Throughout the whole play, he looks at Caroline like he’s trying to figure her out. Like he really needs to know who she is.	female	—	A boy, 17. He is neat, poised, mature for his age. African American. He’s an A student, a team player, a nice guy. He’s not really great around girls. He takes his homework very seriously. When he likes something (jazz music), he is all in. Throughout the whole play, he looks at Caroline like he’s trying to figure her out. Like he really needs to know who she is.
CAROLINE A girl, 17. She does not expect company. She is sick but doesn’t project that fact. She is cynical, over it, does not let a stray “feeling” near the surface. Her room is her entire world. White.	female	—	A girl, 17. She does not expect company. She is sick but doesn’t project that fact. She is cynical, over it, does not let a stray “feeling” near the surface. Her room is her entire world. White.