"I and You" is the final play in Wharton Center’s Illuminate Series this season, and it is sure to leave audiences wanting more. This limited-engagement Wharton Center Production will be presented on the Pasant Theatre stage on March 22 and March 24. Tickets are available at whartoncenter.com; at the Auto-Owners Insurance Ticket Office; or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.
One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline’s door bearing a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman’s "Leaves of Grass," with an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound, Caroline hasn’t been to school in months, but she is as quick and funny as Anthony is athletic, sensitive and popular.
As these two let down their guards and share their secrets, this poetry project unlocks the deep mystery that has brought them together. "I and You" is a funny and touching ode to youth, life, love and the strange beauty of human connectedness with an eye-popping, heart-pounding and totally unexpected ending.
Called “sharp and funny” by The Washington Post, and a “validation of the human experience” by DC Theatre Stage. "I and You" is a play by prolific playwright Lauren Gunderson and is spellbinding, winning a Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award in 2014. "I and You" entices audiences with its poetic nature, the script itself taking cues straight out of a Walt Whitman poem.
Bert Goldstein is the director for the East Lansing performance of "I and You." Goldstein is the director of the MSU Federal Credit Union Institute for Arts and Creativity at the Wharton Center. He has produced several theater pieces for the Institute including tours of plays for young audiences.
Greg Hunter (Anthony) is thrilled to return to Lansing. Hunter is a 2018 graduate from MSU with his master’s degree in acting. He may appear familiar to those who saw him in the Department of Theatre’s "Dog Act," "The Misanthrope" and "We Foxes."
Currently based in Atlanta, Hunter’s most recent credits include "A Year With Frog and Toad" and Bob Marley’s "Three Little Birds" at Synchronicity Theatre, as well as puppeteering for a new BBC show for children by Andrew Davenport.
Tess Galbiati (Caroline) is ecstatic to be in "I and You" for her Wharton Center debut. She was most recently seen at the Chicago Fringe Festival. She is a company member and intimacy coach with Quicksilver Shakespeare and an ensemble member with Chicago Kids Company. Favorite credits include "Hamlet" (Quicksilver Shakespeare), "Doctor Faustus" (Mythfest) and "The Wild Party" (Front/Slash). Galbiati holds a BA with concentrations in writing and performance from Arizona State University.
There will be an After Chat with the actors immediately following the March 22 performance.