FOOLS BY ASSOCIATION: 'I AND YOU' at fresno city college

Audrey Allen and Alexander Gonzalez in "I and You." Photo Courtesy of Fresno City College.

Hey Fools! We're back again, and we're expanding our coverage (LOL, what, like we're a real arts blog or something?). Welcome to FOOLS BY ASSOCIATION, where we spotlight artists who may not be official Fools, but whose work we want to highlight and let y'all know about because....you should be SUPPORTING LOCAL THEATRE.

First up: director Janine Christl sits down with her cast member Alexander Gonzalez to talk about I and You by Lauren Gunderson, currently onstage at Fresno City College. They discuss the production, the process, and why audiences should come check out the Fresno Premiere. Let’s get into it.

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Audrey Allen and Alexander Gonzalez in "I and You." Photo courtesy Fresno City College.

JANINE: First off, for the readers, what is this play about?
ALEXANDER: I and You, on the surface, is a play about two high schoolers working on their school project for their American Literature class. Caroline, played by the wonderful Audrey Allen, is a teenage girl stuck at home due to a disease she has lived with all her life. Her world is shaken when Anthony, played by yours truly, enters her room with an English project. Caroline is closed-off, artistic, and intellectual; Anthony is open, sporty, and sensitive. But underneath that simple sounding story is a play about deeper connection and the importance that even a stranger may provide in your life.

JANINE: What is appealing about working on a play by Lauren Gunderson?
ALEXANDER: Compared to most scripts I get to work on, Lauren Gunderson is refreshing and new. Gunderson has a great grasp on how modern teenagers talk and connect. The writing isn’t overly intellectual, but instead incredibly grounded in reality. Gunderson leans into deeper metaphors with the script near the end. The message to me is of deep connection, and being open to it helped me to explore what it's like to open up and feel deeply on stage.  Gunderson is incredibly popular today, being one of the most produced  playwrights in recent years. It feels gratifying to work on material that you know will connect to people. Alongside this, with a playwright who is still active, we have had the lucky opportunity to directly contact Gunderson. When you arranged the Zoom meet-up with her for the FCC theatre classes, I felt inspired being able to share new concepts and directly address challenges and discoveries we came across in this script. 

JANINE: What are the similarities and differences you have with Anthony? What came more naturally, and what were the challenges you faced?
ALEXANDER: In all honesty, it was very easy to find how I can connect to this character. Lauren Gunderson writes a character that is very specific for the show. He is into jazz, poetry, and basketball. He’s passionate, caring, and sensitive. Terrified, wide-eyed, and confused. I’ve been able to deeply relate to this character that embodies the turbulence found in growing up as a boy. It has been exciting to try and also dive deeper, finding things from my own life to implement into this character’s story. However, what was challenging was playing the part of him that is incredibly outgoing, athletic, and popular. I was definitely not any of those things in high school, but I do admit, it is very fun to figure out how that person lives their life. 

Audrey Allen and Alexander Gonzalez in "I and You." Photo Courtesy of Fresno City College.

JANINE: What did you learn from working on this show?
ALEXANDER: This script offers so much spiritually. Through the use of Walt Whitman’s poem, “Leaves of Grass,” Gunderson reveals how connected we are with the world and with each other. Through this journey, both characters go through- finding meaning in connection, your place in the world- they are enlightened and find how to navigate a world that is relentless and unforgiving. The characters grow before your eyes, children learning their place in the world, learning how to connect and support one another, finding themselves in the order of things. 

JANINE: Why should audiences see this show?
ALEXANDER: I think people can really connect with the message Lauren Gunderson is trying to communicate here. I remember reading the script for the first time and feeling deeply moved by its ideas and themes. This show feels direct and gentle, and it tells its message of independence and connection in an incredibly touching way. The same way Anthony and Caroline resonate with Walt Whitman’s poetry is very similar to the way audiences will react to I and You. 

JANINE: Anything else that the readers should know?
ALEXANDER: Yes! Our show is running now till the 25th of March. You can find our tickets online or at the Fresno City College Theatre box office. Our Friday, March 20th, performance is our fundraiser show, and those proceeds go directly to the Theatre Department students for scholarships, events, and activities. Please see this show, you’ll love it!  

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I and You
written by Lauren Gunderson | directed by Janine Christl
​Fresno City College, Studio Theatre
March 19 & 21, 2026 at 7:30pm | March 20, 2026 at 7:30pm Fundraiser | March 22, 2026 at 2:00pm
March 20 & 23, 2026 at 12:00pm | March 24 & 25, 2026 at 10:00am
Tickets: $14 General, $12 Student/Staff/Senior, $8 Group (10 or more)