LAURA GUNDERSON for The Revolutionist

Lauren Gunderson has a knack for resurrecting remarkable women from history, and giving them the wit, courage, and stage time they deserved all along. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Gunderson studied dramatic writing at NYU and became one of America's most produced living playwrights, often blending science, history, feminism, and razor-sharp comedy. Her play The Revolutionists brings together four women during the French Revolution, including playwright Olympe de Gouges, who dared to demand equal rights for women and paid for her outspoken beliefs with her life. Gunderson's fascination with women who challenge convention makes her a natural fit for Key West, a town with its own proud tradition of independent spirits and rule-breakers. For Gunderson, history isn't a dusty collection of dates, it's an opportunity to give the past a voice, a sense of humor, and perhaps a little overdue justice.