GUTHRIE THEATER PRESENTS LOUISA MAY ALCOTT’S LITTLE WOMEN,
A NEW ADAPTATION BY LAUREN M. GUNDERSON, DIRECTED BY JACKSON GAY

Gunderson’s script features Alcott’s narrative voice and excerpts from the classic novel
to shine a light on the enduring power of sisterhood

Previews begin Saturday, April 18; Opening on Thursday, April 23 
Playing through Sunday, June 21 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage

(Minneapolis/St.Paul) — The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) today announced casting for its upcoming production of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, adapted by Lauren M. Gunderson from the novel by Louisa May Alcott, and directed by Jackson Gay. The show begins previews on Saturday, April 18, opens Thursday, April 23 and will play through Sunday, June 21 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Single and group tickets are now on sale exclusively through the Box Office or online at guthrietheater.org. Accessibility services (ASL-interpreted, audio-described, option-captioned and relaxed performances) are also available on select dates.

“Few works have endured in American literature quite like Little Women,” said Artistic Director Joseph Haj. “Ever since Louisa May Alcott first introduced us to the March sisters in 1868, their story of resilience and familial ties has been cherished by each new generation.” Haj continued, “Lauren M. Gunderson’s stage adaptation of Alcott’s beloved tale is truly remarkable, and I’m grateful to have Director Jackson Gay helming this extraordinary local cast and talented creative team as they bring fresh perspectives to Alcott’s world and delight Guthrie audiences of all ages.”

Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women was jointly commissioned by four regional theaters: City Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, People’s Light and TheatreWorks. Gunderson’s adaptation leans into Alcott’s narrative voice, using passages from the novel to frame, activate and comment on scenes as they happen.

“This adaptation allows us to interrogate all the complexities of the human experience, but in the form of women and girls,” said Gunderson during the first rehearsal at the Guthrie. “Each March sister teaches us about resilience, survival and self-worth in a time of civil war. Their sisterhood is imperfect, and in its flaws, we’re able to find our own voice in these incredible characters.”

Gunderson’s new adaptation of the beloved classic celebrates the wonderful and trying transition from girlhood to adulthood. Jo March desperately wants to be a writer — an unusual dream for a teenage girl in 1860s Massachusetts. With her father away during the Civil War, Jo and her sisters Meg, Beth and Amy, at home with their mother Marmee, remain joyful and dutiful despite their modest circumstances. As time passes, the women in the family grow ever closer as they navigate love, loss and new beginnings. Yearning for independence, Jo is emboldened by her sisters to channel her angst into her stories, eventually finding her place in the world as a published author.

The cast of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women includes Joe Bigelow (Guthrie: Cabaret, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, My Fair Lady) as Friedrich, Stephanie Anne Bertumen (Guthrie: A Christmas Carol, Cabaret, The History Plays) as Meg, May Heinecke (Guthrie: debut) as Beth, George Keller (Guthrie: A Doll’s House, Dollhouse) as Marmee/Aunt March, Logan Lang (Guthrie: debut) as John, Isabella Star LaBlanc (Guthrie: debut) as Louisa/Jo, Bill McCallum (Guthrie: Macbeth, The History Plays, Shane) as Mr. Laurence/Mr. March, Audrey Parker (Guthrie: debut) as Amy and Daniel Petzold (Guthrie: Macbeth, A Christmas Carol, The Importance of Being Earnest) as Laurie.

The creative team includes Lauren M. Gunderson (Adapter), Jackson Gay (Director), Junghyun Georgia Lee (Scenic Designer), Jessica Ford (Costume Designer), Paul P. Whitaker (Lighting Designer), Matthew M. Nielson (Sound Designer/Composer), Wendy Weckwerth (Dramaturg), Keely Wolter (Resident Vocal Coach), Joey Miller (Movement Coordinator), Annie Enneking (Fight Director/Intimacy), Jennifer Liestman, C.S.A. (Resident Casting Director), Lori Lundquist (Stage Manager), Jaya Robillard (Assistant Stage Manager) and Jacey Little (Assistant Director).

Biographies

Louisa May Alcott (Author) is best known for her novel Little Women and its sequels, Little Men and Jo’s Boys. Born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1832, Alcott and her three sisters spent their childhood in Concord and Boston, Massachusetts. Her career as an author began with submissions to popular magazines of poetry and short stories. Her first book, Flower Fables, was published in 1854 at age 22. In 1863, Hospital Sketches, a book based on her letters home while a nurse during the American Civil War, was published in the abolitionist magazine Boston Commonwealth. Little Women began as a request from her publisher to write a book for girls. Based on Alcott’s life with her sisters, Little Women introduced Jo March, the principal protagonist and first realistic heroine in American literature. Her final novel, Jo’s Boys, was published in 1886 and contained arguments for women’s rights and other social reforms. She continued her tireless campaign to persuade women to register to vote until her death in 1888. Alcott published more than 200 literary works in many genres that have been translated into over 54 languages.

Lauren M. Gunderson (Adapter) has been one of the most-produced playwrights in America since 2015, topping American Theatre’s list three times. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award for I and You and The Book of Will; winner of the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award and Lanford Wilson Award; and a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Gunderson is a playwright, screenwriter, musical book writer and children’s author. She graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts as a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. Learn more at laurengunderson.com.

Jackson Gay (Director) is a director, producer and educator known for vibrant new plays and deeply human reimaginings of the classics. In addition to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, her upcoming projects include a feminist retelling of Dracula by British playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm at Hartford Stage, which centers the perspectives of Mina and Lucy. Other recent and upcoming work includes Shakespeare’s King Lear, the new Nashville-inspired musical Hard Road to Heaven and Hedda Gabler at The Juilliard School. Gay is the Co-Artistic Director of the cross-disciplinary collective New Neighborhood, where she produced the first 24-hour reading of the Mueller Report, Filibustered and Unfiltered, and the interactive sound installation Endless Loop of Gratitude at New Ohio Theatre’s Ice Factory. Her longstanding collaboration with playwright Rolin Jones includes the hit “modish” Shakespeare adaptation These Paper Bullets! (Yale Rep, Geffen Playhouse, Atlantic Theater Company), for which she received the Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Best Director. Other notable credits include the Off-Broadway Alliance Award-winning Transfers by Lucy Thurber (MCC Theater), the Obie Award-winning The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow (Atlantic Theater Company, Yale Rep) and world premieres by Sheila Callaghan, Bess Wohl and Christina Anderson. Gay is the Director of Artistic Programs for the Fuller Road Artist Residency in Vermont and serves on the faculty of the M.F.A. Directing program at Brooklyn College. She holds an M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama. Learn more at jacksongracegay.com.

The Guthrie gratefully acknowledges Ameriprise Financial, SPS Commerce and Standard Heating & Air Conditioning for their support of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.

Related Events

Post-Play Discussions
Patrons are invited to stay in the theater following select performances for a 20-minute conversation about the production facilitated by Guthrie staff. Cast members may join the discussion as they are able.

Sunday, April 26 at 1 p.m. 
Sunday, May 3 at 1 p.m.
Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 13 at 1 p.m.
Saturday, May 16 at 1 p.m.

Accessible Performances

Relaxed Performance – Sunday, May 31 at 1 p.m.
A relaxed performance is intended to be sensitive to and accepting of any audience member who may benefit from a more relaxed environment. It is intentionally modified to accommodate patrons with sensory and vestibular sensitivities, anxiety, dementia, autism spectrum disorders, learning differences and/or other challenges attending the theater.

ASL-Interpreted Performances
American Sign Language interpreters sign the performance as it plays out onstage.

Saturday, May 16 at 1 p.m.
Friday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m.

Audio-Described Performances
Audio describers provide live verbal descriptions of the action, costumes and scenery for people who are blind or have low vision.

Friday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 16 at 1 p.m.

Open-Captioned Performances
LED screens display text simultaneously with the performance onstage.

Friday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m.
Wednesday, May 20 at 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 24 at 1 p.m.
Wednesday, May 27 at 1 p.m.

The Guthrie also provides accessible services upon request. Requests must be received at least two weeks in advance and can be directed to 612.225.6390 or accessibility@guthrietheater.org.

Ticket Information

Single tickets range from $35 to $94 (handling fees included). Purchase single and group tickets (minimum requirement of 15 per group) through the Box Office at 612.377.2224 (single), 1.877.447.8243 (toll-free), 612.225.6244 (group) or online at guthrietheater.org. The Guthrie Theater Box Office is the only official and most secure source for Guthrie tickets. We cannot guarantee the validity of tickets purchased through any other vendor or third-party seller.

Land Acknowledgment

The Guthrie would like to acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the Dakota People and honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Ojibwe and other Indigenous nations.

The GUTHRIE THEATER (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) is an American center for theater performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dedicated to producing a mix of classic and contemporary plays and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Under Haj’s leadership, the Guthrie is guided by four core values: Artistic Excellence; Community; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility; and Fiscal Responsibility. Since its founding in 1963, the theater has continued to set a national standard for excellence in the field and serve the people of Minnesota as a vital cultural resource. The Guthrie houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public spaces. guthrietheater.org