BS SN, THe Puavwmicnr-acron sono LAURENGUNDERSON JENNIFERLEBLANC HEART AND MIND BY CHAD JONES NN ONE EXTRAORDINARY SCENE, actor Jennifer Le Blane stopped the show— in the best possible way. The play was Lauren Gundersons By and By, science fie ‘on-tinged drama premicringat Shotgun Players in Berkeley, Calif. Le Blane was playing the teenage daughter of a genetic scientist who may have stumbled upon the scoret to successful cloning. Then, toward the end ofthe play, Le Blane segued intoa second character, simultaneously plying the daughter andthe deceased woman from, who she was cloned had written a monologue for that scone, batie dda’ relly begin to take shape until Jenn started improvising wich it in rehearsal,” Gunderson says on the phone from her Sa n Francisco home. "She made itwork, Frankly, having an actor smart and brave enough wo embrace the theatricality oft without losing the humanity is what gave the scene its heart. Te takes great eraft to be that physically precise and not make it ook that precise—to be the thing and be abvey the th Jenn isjustso lovely and so nice,” Gunderson adds, “but she comes to rehearsal, and she's ready and aware and vigilant.” Le Blanc, who had known Gunderson socially in the Bay Area theatre scene before working with her on By and By last June, came co the project already thinking similarly effusive things about the playwright. “She's awesome—she writes about ake: re! Then ada in her scientific curiosity, her ama things Hove," Le Blane says from her home in Oakland, “I'm a big writes new plas inspired by Shakesp hiscory and her strong women's parts. Game over. And she's so fanny—working on that final scene with her and [director] re would laugh about writing parodies of ‘Send inthe Clones’ or something, Ifyou're about to doa really hard he with someone who can be funny. We're both intellectually curious, and we'e both big laughers.” first moments of her By and By audit are nerd, and Pm interested in new plays. Lauren fe Blane says she could sense that she and Gunalerson would be a od it. “Ar the audition Lauren was this beam ged” Le Blane says. friendly presence with everyone, just so actively en “Ie was impossible tobe nervous with Lauren siti ross the table, willing you to do well. wanted to askher she'd come with me to all my auditions.” Gunderson recalls that audition a well, “We had so “My dream role would be a woman much good talent come into that room, but with Jenn, from history brought to life by Lauren, there was this beautifully open heart, She doesnt lead with diva, She leads with undeniable talent. You could tell she shown in all her passionate glory,” Date Sfodiaa aca ase says Le Blanc. while, biochemistry major. How incredibly perfect is that fora play about human cloning?”o-based TheatreWorks in Jana ate strengeh that Jenn has that walks che line. We see what weak,” the playwright explains. *You vulnerable. ‘Thats what we saw i (Over the samme Kate in the Livermore Shakespeare Festivals 7 ye Shrew amid the vineyards of Sar Is ith the San Francisco-based Arabian Shakespeare by Kuwaiti playwright Hussain Al Musalam. women from a different era and makes them completely relatabl pe modern mind, My dream Ld be like that, woman from history brought to life by Lauren, shown inall hr passionat Gunderson reiterates that she wouldn't mind having Le Blane tin everything she writes. “A relationship like this just builds and feel with Jenn, and is what I eel in the Bay Area theatre communi T wake up and go, ‘Tm a lucky playwright right now.’ I's big thing to fel the trust chat I fel here.” Chad Jones is a San Francisco-based freelance writer who blogs at www.theaterdogs.net.