Exit, Pursued by a Bear

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by Lauren Gunderson

(15)
Productions (138)
Revenge Comedy
|
75 - 80 minutes
2 W, 2 M, 
Content Notes: Adult language
Set: Minimal.

Nan has decided to teach her abusive husband Kyle a lesson. With the help of her friend Simon (acting as her emotional -- and actual -- cheerleader) and a stripper named Sweetheart, she tapes Kyle to a chair and forces him to watch as they reenacts scenes from their painful past. In the piece de resistance, they plan to cover the room in meat and honey so Kyle will be mauled by a bear. Through this night of emotional trials and ridiculous theatrics, Nan and Kyle are both freed from their past in this smart, dark revenge comedy. Read More

Pricing Information

Min. Performance Fee* $85
Standard Edition $13.99
Stage Manager Edition $24.99
Archival Video License $150

*The per performance fee begins at $85. Your per performance fee will be provided during the ordering process.


Playscripts is pleased to offer an Archival Video License for an additional $150 for full-length plays and $75 for one-act plays.

Play Details

Nan has decided to teach her abusive husband Kyle a lesson. With the help of her friend Simon (acting as her emotional -- and actual -- cheerleader) and a stripper named Sweetheart, she tapes Kyle to a chair and forces him to watch as they reenacts scenes from their painful past. In the piece de resistance, they plan to cover the room in meat and honey so Kyle will be mauled by a bear. Through this night of emotional trials and ridiculous theatrics, Nan and Kyle are both freed from their past in this smart, dark revenge comedy.

website: sites.google.com/site/exitbearplayresearch

NOTE: This is the 1st play in the Shakespeare Cycle, a series of contemporary comedies based on Shakespeare's plays. See Toil and Trouble and The Taming for the other plays in this series.

  • Revenge Comedy
  • |
  • 75 - 80 minutes
  • 2 W, 2 M, 
  • Content Notes: Adult language
  • Set: Minimal.
  • Standard Edition ISBN: 978-1-62384-046-4

Published Reviews

"If the Coen Brothers decided to set a feminist revenge tale in Atlanta and sprinkle it with Dixie Chicks pixie dust, it might look something like Exit, Pursued by a Bear, a raucous comedy of friendship, domestic abuse, and performance-as-catharsis."

ArtsCritic Atlanta

"Funny-as-hell."

TheatreJones.com

"Gunderson is one of the most creative and entertaining playwrights in America."

Dallas Morning News

"It is a well-balanced mix of serious subject matter and laughter. The play is real and highly unlikely, but it's the highly unlikely parts that make the on-stage witnessing of the real-life, depressing, heart breaking horror of domestic violence possible... It was perfect."

Community Educator for the Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence

"Bear is raw and hilarious."

American Theatre Magazine

"There's more than enough wit, seriousness and originality in Exit to show why the native Georgian Gunderson is emerging."

San Francisco Chronicle

"Falling in love with a playwright whose work you're experiencing for the first time feels like Christmas morning at age 6--giddy excitement, new toys, wonder and sugar high all wrapped up in a nice holiday package. That's what it felt like the other night at the Boxcar Playhouse watching Crowded Fire Theater Company's production of Exit, Pursued by a Bear, a new play by Lauren Gunderson, a Georgia native who now lives and works in San Francisco."

Theater Dogs!

"Exit is a spirited comedy, able and clever."

San Francisco Bay Guardian

"Uproarious."

The Seattle Times

"It's Dixie Chicks' "Goodbye Earl" meets 9-5."

WABE, Atlanta's NPR station

"Gunderson's script not only makes each character adorably quirky but engenders empathy for all four as well. This show contains enough offbeat and grisly--no pun intended--humor that the Bard's immortally funny line is a fitting title."

The Week Magazine

Production History

MAY 08, 2026 - MAY 17, 2026
Department Of Theatre And Dance, Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA United States
Department Of Theatre And Dance, Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA United States
SEP 01, 2025 - OCT 31, 2025
N/A
Washington, DC United States
N/AWashington, DC United States
APR 25, 2025 - MAY 14, 2025
Adirondack Stage Rats
Westport, NY United States
Adirondack Stage RatsWestport, NY United States
APR 10, 2025 - APR 13, 2025
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL United States
Augustana CollegeRock Island, IL United States
MAR 28, 2025 - MAR 29, 2025
Out of The Box
Oklahoma City, OK United States
Out of The BoxOklahoma City, OK United States
MAR 21, 2025 - MAR 30, 2025
Graceland University
Lamoni, IA United States
Graceland UniversityLamoni, IA United States
MAR 20, 2025 - MAR 29, 2025
Yucca Club and Black River Art Gallery
MEDFORD, WI United States
Yucca Club and Black River Art GalleryMEDFORD, WI United States
MAR 07, 2025 - MAR 16, 2025
Gnarly Bard Theater
Saint Cloud, MN United States
Gnarly Bard TheaterSaint Cloud, MN United States
FEB 27, 2025 - MAR 02, 2025
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, KS United States
Pittsburg State UniversityPittsburg, KS United States
FEB 17, 2025 - FEB 17, 2025
The Tipping Point Theatre Company
Columbus, OH United States
The Tipping Point Theatre CompanyColumbus, OH United States
1 of 14
MAY 08, 2026 - MAY 17, 2026
Department Of Theatre And Dance, Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA United States
Department Of Theatre And Dance, Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, CA United States
SEP 01, 2025 - OCT 31, 2025
N/A
Washington, DC United States
N/AWashington, DC United States
APR 25, 2025 - MAY 14, 2025
Adirondack Stage Rats
Westport, NY United States
Adirondack Stage RatsWestport, NY United States
APR 10, 2025 - APR 13, 2025
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL United States
Augustana CollegeRock Island, IL United States
MAR 28, 2025 - MAR 29, 2025
Out of The Box
Oklahoma City, OK United States
Out of The BoxOklahoma City, OK United States
MAR 21, 2025 - MAR 30, 2025
Graceland University
Lamoni, IA United States
Graceland UniversityLamoni, IA United States
MAR 20, 2025 - MAR 29, 2025
Yucca Club and Black River Art Gallery
MEDFORD, WI United States
Yucca Club and Black River Art GalleryMEDFORD, WI United States
MAR 07, 2025 - MAR 16, 2025
Gnarly Bard Theater
Saint Cloud, MN United States
Gnarly Bard TheaterSaint Cloud, MN United States
FEB 27, 2025 - MAR 02, 2025
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg, KS United States
Pittsburg State UniversityPittsburg, KS United States
JAN 22, 2020 - FEB 09, 2020
Globe Theatre
Regina, SK Canada
Globe TheatreRegina, SK Canada
APR 20, 2018 - APR 22, 2018
The Theater Project
Union, NJ United States
The Theater ProjectUnion, NJ United States
JUL 29, 2017 - JUL 30, 2017
Barabbas Theatre
Silver Spring, MD United States
Barabbas TheatreSilver Spring, MD United States
JUL 06, 2017 - JUL 31, 2017
Barabbas Theatre
Silver Spring, MD United States
Barabbas TheatreSilver Spring, MD United States
JUL 06, 2017 - JUL 31, 2017
Barabbas Theatre
Washington, DC United States
Barabbas TheatreWashington, DC United States
MAY 14, 2015 - JUN 14, 2015
City Lights Theater Company
San Jose, CA United States
City Lights Theater CompanySan Jose, CA United States
AUG 22, 2014 - AUG 30, 2014
Broken Spectacle Productions
Bowling Green, OH United States
Broken Spectacle ProductionsBowling Green, OH United States
OCT 11, 2013 - OCT 26, 2013
Theatre On Fire
Charlestown, MA United States
Theatre On FireCharlestown, MA United States
AUG 15, 2013 - SEP 14, 2013
Circle Theatre
Fort Worth, TX United States
Circle TheatreFort Worth, TX United States
DEC 06, 2012 - DEC 30, 2012
Arts Garage
Delray Beach, FL United States
Arts GarageDelray Beach, FL United States
1 of 2

Awards (2)

Best Showstopper, San Francisco Weekly (2012)

Outstanding Comedy, B. Iden Payne Awards (2012)

Archival Video License

Playscripts is pleased to offer an Archival Video License to add to your order for an additional $150 for full-length plays and $75 for one-act plays.

This allows you to record one of your live performances for your internal archives only. This cannot be streamed.

For more information, please reach out to playscriptsinfo@broadwaylicensing.com