Los Angeles Times

Lauren Gunderson rubbed her hands together in excitement. “We’re about to get this playwriting class started,” said the prolific playwright, wearing her signature vibrant eyeglasses and a Shakespeare Theatre Company sweatshirt. She then spoke to her students for nearly an hour about shaping a story’s beginning and ending, crafting character-defining choices and penning effective stage directions. Because of the coronavirus outbreak, the session Wednesday was no ordinary class. Rather, Gunderson led these lessons virtually and for free from her home in San Francisco, a region ordered to shelter in place.