I and You

by Lauren Gunderson

Only in high school would two completely unconnected people – cranky, chronically ill Caroline and levelheaded basketball star Anthony – be paired to collaborate on a project to deconstruct a poem about the interconnectivity of everything. But as the two teens cram to finish their presentation on Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, they learn not only how to work together, but just how fundamentally they complement each other.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Young Adult, School, Read For School, Romance

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Asae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, okay, I get it. This is a great play. The dialogue reminded me of the best of the Gilmore Girls and the scenario feels a tad contrived and yet true to life or at least to teenage life where you can form a best friendship or fall in love in a day, where sharing a joke, or reacting just right to the moment at hand feels uber significant and you are both supremely curious about the whole word and supremely self involved. The question that excites me as a director is how to build to the end so that is is of a piece even as it is a surprise. I think the direct quotations of Whitman do that more than anything else, as does Coltrane's A Love Supreme. Really lovely.

[Lizzy Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow that ending

[charlotte ennen · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am so unwell

[Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was horrible i can't believe i have to pick a monologue from this... what even

[Jade Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. i knew what was going to happen at the end because of the foreword, but wow. what. beautiful journey. simple but powerful

[Maddie Holdway · Rating 3 out of 5]

For Independent reading I read the play “I &” about a sick girl with a failed liver who works from home. Her whole world changed when one day a kid from her school tries to get her to work on a poetry project with her. At the end of the story there is a huge plot twist that explains a lot of the story in detail.

Honestly I think the play is very good, the concept and end of the show specifically is so crazy, I don’t want to spoil it though. The dialogue in the book is a little weird but it could be because of the plot twist, but also it could be because of the time period being the early 2010s, but I really enjoyed reading this play. I really loved the plot of the story and how it took place in one location, it made the story feel more close to the viewer!

[Simon Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a junior in high school, I was in a production of “I and You” playing the character of Anthony. It was a very rewarding experience that taught me a lot about acting, while also keeping me busy and entertained in a fun after school activity.

I don’t have too much to say, but I do love this play very much and I think it’s underrated. It’s innocent, curious, and pretty heartbreaking; the essence behind it is quite the emotional ride. I think that a play involving only two people and three acts is rare to encounter and it is thrilling to both perform and experience, and reading it as opposed to performing it (after all these years) brought back many memories and made the experience even better.

Love this!

[Daniel Damiano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure how this playwright has become the belle of regional theatre, but I found this play (and another play that I read of hers) to truly lack depth and authenticity. Much of this play is taken up by a lot of very strident interaction between the two seemingly opposite characters, which seemed like leftover dialogue from some of John Hughes' films. Of course, the characters gradually warm to each other which, this being a 2 character play, is of little surprise. The trick up this play's sleeve is the denouement which, in a much better and richer play, could have worked - but in this play, it struck me as a lame device, unearned by the rote interaction that led up to it.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lauren Gunderson is great. Her play, "The Taming" was one of the best plays I saw in 2013. I missed this play in Marin so it was lovely to get to read it in the July/August 2014 issue of "American Theatre". The pacing is quick and engaging - I flew through it. And I like the playful spacing of words that Gunderson uses to help communicate the pacing and emphasis.

I also really enjoyed the construction of the piece, layers of meaning and relationship that were both accessible and fun to discover.

[keira · Rating 5 out of 5]

normally not one to rave about plays being poetic and all, but wow.

the dialogue had this amazing talent of being contemporary in style but also written in a timeless prose

even the stage directions themselves told a story

and obviously the ending was spectacular. normally i’m not a huge fan of the whole “and then it was all a dream” trope but it was done so masterfully

would 100% recommend, even to people who don’t typically read plays

[Isabella Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

performed this play when i was in high school. it’s so trippy and fun to return to it now, all grown up. i truly felt for the characters more this time around (maybe because i wasn’t practicing it for performance). this is a masterpiece and i wish more people knew about it! i also am like 100% sure this play was one of those things which propelled me to become an english major. 5🌟

[Phia Gregoire · Rating 3 out of 5]

weird as shit but like um cool ig

[Dale]

I’m in this play

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild

[Soofa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m Caroline, makinda’s Anthony.

[camille *ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

that ending im like 🧍🏻‍♀️🧍🏻‍♀️🧍🏻‍♀️🧍🏻‍♀️

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I liked this one but couldn't stop reading. And then it took my breath away.

[Cordelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using this in my future high school drama classroom. Tender, real, and honest. Ending took my breath away. Fantastic theatre for young adult actors.

[MB Shakespeare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely tear up at the end of anything that I read. Add this play to that sparse list. I was sobbing. Gunderson has an amazing way of writing that innocently sucks you in and when you least expect it, holds you captive of your own will.

Under the guise of two teens working on a school project about Walt Whitman, his words and Gunderson's come alive in amazing and intense ways, creating a desire to re-read Leaves of Grass and a deeper understanding of the difficulty that teens struggle with in their complicated and quickly changing bodies and lives. Lessons on science, music, history, literature, and life, this play takes the cacophony of hormones, feelings, and the day-to-day realities of teenage life, and creates a work that seamlessly moves to an ending that will take some time to leave you - if ever. And when you do recall this play, it will be as Whitman intended - "...somewhere waiting for you." Gunderson is the most-produced playwright in America next to Shakespeare - this play is just one of the many reasons why.

[Andre Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was starting this play out, I didn’t know where it was going to lead me. I thought it would just be a classic story about a popular guy being paired with the girl who is sick. And they go on this whole journey of getting to know each other and of course they fall for each other, and all of that. But I was wrong. I was wrong about any preconceived notions I had about this one.

Both of these characters are pretty fleshed out, and real people, despite how short this read is. They each have their own distinct personality. They aren’t just generic tropes from any kind of teen piece of text. They’re alive and beautiful. This story and its entirety are well done and I’m just amazed at this piece of work. There’s one big and stunning metaphor you realize after you get to the end, and again it’s so well done. I definitely recommend this one right here.

[Isa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first watched this play on stage in highschool production in 2022. I remember having tears streaming down my face as I realized Anthony was the one who died on the court.

As fate would have it I took theatre appreciation in college and this was an assigned text. I read it again but now knowing the ending I felt a wave of grief as I read the text.

It’s beautifully written, however in some instances it is rather cliché. The ill sarcastic girl that truly does have deep feelings, is a tale as old as times. Same vibe as the girl from the “Fault in our Stars.” But then again I think Gunderson does a wonderful job of humanizing Caroline and presenting her internal debate of “self worth” (for lack of a better word) with Anthony.

Little torn on it. But it is a play you should read and or watch at least once.

[luca sardelis]

Just a good hearty two hander that lets you live in adolescence, angst and vibes.

I didn’t see the end coming but as soon as it did I saw the metaphor for their entire relationship. The physical circumstances that we don’t see being reflected through the emotional connection between the two characters.

I love that the poetry used throughout didn’t leave too much of an impact on me but served the plot and then at the end when read out in its entirety, it was recontextualised and made me cry.

Also without intention- as I did not do my research on what this play is about before reading it- I happened to read this on the anniversary of my sister’s death.

[aud.∿ ࣪˖ ౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think i’ve seen this film before. and i didn’t like the ending. (i literally did a one-act just like this written by my dear friend. ended the same way and i cried every night performing it.) talk about serious deja vu. caroline the virgo who thinks jazz is elevator music and anthony the taurus who loves jazz… LORD. i can never be happy huh? they are so cute. i love them. doesn’t matter if i see it coming from a mile away, my heart will always break reading things like this. bittersweet. beautiful play and definitely a new favorite of mine. going to read some walt whitman poetry now… feeling grateful for life.

[Giana Lerini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my god oh my god oh. My. God. I genuinely have never had that big of a reaction to a straight play ever. The dialogue is so realistic and accurate to how high schoolers talk to each other and more importantly how they show interest in another person. The realization at the end oh my lord I have not been this confused or excited or left wondering since I don’t even know when pls everyone read this play so I can talk to people about it. It’s also a very quick read so just do it and then yeah :)

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm officially a Lauren Gunderson fangirl. There's a club, right? Do we get jackets? Sign me up.

While I'm typically a fan of anything set in a teenage girl's bedroom, I was uniquely charmed by Anthony and Caroline's teen banter juxtaposed with Walt Witman and their absolute gushing over Song of Myself. And I was completely disarmed by the ending. That ending. A constellation of stars on a turtle's back? Chef's kiss. Can't wait to see it on the stage when the world opens up.

[Kenzie Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is SUCH a beautiful, conversational play!

I love a two person, “low budget friendly” play that feels like it could be done on a grand scale or in my parent’s backyard.

It’s hilarious and it also has touching moments of human realness and the struggle we all face - connection.

CAROLINE IS ME. I AM CAROLINE. A Virgo?? Speaks Spanish? Hates a pity party? IS SO WEIRD? It all checks out.

Thank you Lauren, for ripping my heart out of my chest in the end <3

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

holy shit!!! i had this play summarized for me, and i'm glad i immediately forgot the summary because boy is this a play with a powerful ending.

it was run of the mill cute and turned into something so soul-shaking it literally left me gasping

really enjoyed my first Gunderson play. look forward to reading more

[John Acuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this play as the reading committee of the community theatre I volunteer in made this suggestion to mount for a future show. It may seem juvenile on the surface, especially with the young characters and setting. But Lauren Gunderson made a brilliant play using these elements. The kicker is in the ending.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic two-character play that really grew on me, at times very funny, but packing a gut punch that caught me off guard.

The characters are a chronically ill (and more than a little angry about it) young woman and the young black man who decided to take her on as a project partner. I'll look forward to a chance to see this one on the stage.

[Len Cuthbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this play during the pandemic when a recording of an excellent production was made available online for a limited time. The story is good but as everyone indicates, the ending twist makes it over-the-top great. In my opinion, it is really just the ending that makes this play stand out. Was worth buying to read and add to the many other plays on the shelf.