Past Seasons

Over The River And Through The Woods

Runs Nov 20 - Dec 21, 2025

Written by:Joe DiPietro

Directed by:Jeffrey Bracco

Supported by:Producer Toggle Hagan

A young man and woman look lovingly at each other while standing on a porch.

Nick still sees both sets of his grandparents every Sunday for dinner in New Jersey. Then he’s offered a dream job thousands of miles away in Seattle. This news doesn’t go over well with his grandparents. Thus begins a series of (well-intentioned) schemes to keep Nick nearby.

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Spooky Lights Live

Oct 12, 2025

Spooky Lights Live: An evening of eerie short plays. Expect snacks, drinks, Halloween party favors, and a costume contest! Frights, festivities, and fun guaranteed.

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An evening with AJ Jaffari

Aug 3, 2025

With his soulful voice and warm stage presence, singer/songwriter, producer and actor AJ Jaffari has delighted City Lights audiences in "Kinky Boots" and Big Band concerts with the Nineteen ensemble. This summer, AJ brings us a solo concert celebrating his new album, "Stay Awhile."

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Head Over Heels

Runs Jul 17 - Aug 17, 2025

Songs by:The Go-Go's

Based on:"The Arcadia" by Sir Philip Sidney

Conceived and original book by:Jeff Whitty

Adapted by:James Magruder

Directed by:Jeffrey Bracco

Vocal direction by:Tina Paulson

Choreography by:Jennifer Cuevas

Supported by:Producers Richard & Peggy James, Nan Ho & Gary Miner, and Christy Martin & Cindy Melter

[image: Two female-presenting characters smiling into each other's eyes, one with her finger playfully under the other's chin. They wear opulent Elizabethan costumes.]

This laugh-out-loud love story is set to the infectious music of the all-female rock band The Go-Go's. Led by the free-spirited Princess Pamela, the royal family journeys to save their beloved kingdom of Arcadia from extinction. The results: a wild adventure filled with mistaken identities, forbidden romances and unexpected twists,

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Sweet! A Zoom talkback about "The Cake"

May 28, 2025

[image: A slice of cake in pastel rainbow colors, with berries and white drippy icing on top]

What are the ingredients of a successful show? A fresh script, five cups of acting talent, more than a sprinkle of fine directing, and much more went into cooking up "The Cake." Join director Lisa Mallette and the cast (including the one surprise actor you won't see on stage!) for a free, fun Zoom talkback.

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The Cake

Runs May 15 - Jun 8, 2025

Written by:Bekah Brunstetter

Directed by:Lisa Mallette

Supported by:Executive Producer Sandra Moll and Producers Jonathan Karpf & Kathleen Zaretsky

[image: Figurines of two brides, one white with long hair and one black with an updo, perched atop an elaborate white wedding cake against a brown background]

Della and her North Carolina bakery are renowned for their cakes. So it’s no surprise that when the girl Della helped raise returns to the South, she asks Della to make her wedding cake. The surprise? There are two brides. Now, even as Della’s life is complicated by the chance to be on a reality baking show, she questions her beliefs – and the true meaning of family, faith and frosting.

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An afternoon of modern jazz

Apr 13, 2025

You know our intimate stage is a great place to experience jazz. On Sunday, April 13, at 4 p.m., delve into the myriad sounds of modern jazz with both veteran and emerging musicians: Nineteen, San Jose's professional Big Band; and the San Jose Youth Symphony Jazz Ensemble.

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Case Closed!

Apr 1, 2025

Join director Doll Piccotto and cast members for a lively, free Zoom talkback as we unravel the mystery behind "The Mousetrap" and explore the art of bringing this classic whodunit to life.

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Mrs. Winchester, or, A Gun in the First Act

Mar 23, 2025

[image: Three images, one of an actor looking darkly at the camera, one a publicity poster for the play, and one a historic photo of a proper 19th-century woman]

Guns. Grief. Ghosts. The stories of San Jose's Winchester Mystery House come to life again in this compelling one-artist show presented by actor Lisa Morse and playwright Joe Christiano.

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The Mousetrap

Runs Mar 13 - Apr 12, 2025

Written by:Agatha Christie

Directed by:Doll Piccotto

Supported by:Producer Clint Moore, Producer Charlie McCollum and Producer Dan Hill

[image: An eerie house that looks like an English country home, half-buried in snow, with a light in the window]

Trapped in Monkswell Manor by a snowstorm, a sundry group are also ensnared in a web of fear after a local woman is murdered. A police detective arrives to interrogate the suspects, but can the murderer be found in time?

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I Heart City Lights: A benefit concert with Nineteen

Feb 14, 2025

We had so much fun that we're doing it again! Nineteen, San Jose's professional Big Band, is back to perform another benefit concert for the theater, with your favorite City Lights actors singing love songs. Warm up your Friday night and show your love for City Lights.

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In Love and Zoomcraft

Feb 3, 2025

Join director Kimberly Ridgeway and the In Love and Warcraft team for a lively Zoom talkback exploring the intersection of online gaming, digital personas, and romantic storytelling.

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In Love and Warcraft

Runs Jan 16 - Feb 9, 2025

Written by:Madhuri Shekar

Directed by:Kimberly Ridgeway

Supported by:Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch and Producers Anita Kapadia & Feroze Taraporevala

Meet Evie, a college senior who’s a master at both online role-playing and real-life ghostwriting -- her side hustle is writing love letters for other people. But she’s navigating the complexities of love and sex without firsthand experience. As she's drawn to one of her clients, Evie must learn to unleash her powerful persona in the real world.

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Backstage at "Truce": a Zoom talkback

Dec 11, 2024

[image: Photos of actors in World War I soldier and nurse costumes, photographed in the California hills]

Want to live longer in the world of the historic 1914 Christmas truce? Join "Truce: A Christmas Wish from the Great War" director Angie Higgins and members of the cast for a behind-the-scenes chat.

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Nineteen: A Big Band Holiday Revue

Dec 10, 2024

City Lights actors sing holiday carols with Nineteen, San Jose's professional Big Band! This concert is a fundraiser for the theater and a great way to see some of your favorite artists from "Kinky Boots," "Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show" and more.

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Tenth Annual Ren's Winter Wonderland

Runs Dec 8 - Dec 15, 2024

[image: A smiling white woman with brown hair, holding a microphone and surrounded by a musicians, laughs and points at a glowing Santa decoration during a holiday concert]

Come get in the spirit of the season with jazz-blues-country singer Ren Geisick and her band. We're thrilled to present the 10th annual Ren's Winter Wonderland concerts!

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Truce: A Christmas Wish from the Great War

Runs Nov 29 - Dec 22, 2024

Written by:Kit Wilder & Jeffrey Bracco

Directed by:Angie Higgins

Supported by:Executive Producer Toggle Hagan and Producers Marv & Bonnie Bamburg

[image: A World War I-esque scene in the trenches, with a pale star floating above the grim scene]

In 2014, City Lights marked the 100-year anniversary of the World War I “Christmas Truce” with a world premiere that drew crowds and raves. Now "Truce: A Christmas Wish from the Great War" is back with a mix of returning and new artists. Set in the trenches of France, this story follows soldiers on both sides who embraced a spontaneous ceasefire to celebrate Christmas in 1914.

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An Inspector Calls

Runs Sep 26 - Oct 20, 2024

Written by:J.B. Priestley

Directed by:Mark Anderson Phillips

Supported by:Producers Connie & Paul Boulay

As the well-to-do Birlings celebrate an engagement in the family, the festive evening is suddenly punctured by an uninvited visitor: an inspector looking into the death of a young woman.

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The Rocky Horror Zoom Show

Aug 12, 2024

Join director Amber Smith and other artists from "The Rocky Horror Show" in this online talkback. These events are free, up-close, and lots of fun!

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Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show

Runs Jul 18 - Aug 25, 2024

Book, music and lyrics by:Richard O'Brien

Directed by:Amber Smith

Choreographed by:Stephanie Staszak

Music direction by:Brian Allan Hobbs

Vocal direction by:Tina Paulson

Supported by:Producers Jonathan Karpf and Kathleen Zaretsky

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

In this cult classic, sweethearts Brad and Janet, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter and its houseful of wild characters. Complete with sass from the audience, this kitschy rock 'n' roll sci-fi gothic musical is more fun than ever. City Lights had hit productions in 2003 and 2013, and we can’t wait to do the Time Warp with you again!

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Cory Cullinan & Riley Max

Jun 16, 2024

[image: At left, a smiling man in a DR NOIZE T-shirt. At right, his smiling daughter in a dark T-shirt with long blond hair]

This special Father's Day concert features father and daughter musicians Cory Cullinan and Riley Max: songs and storytelling from each of their albums about life, family and friends. Cory has songs in major movies, documentaries, and on multiple albums, and is also the family recording artist Doctor Noize. Riley hit the scene last year with her stunning debut album of original songs, "ROY G BIV."

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Not A Genuine Black Man

Jun 15, 2024

[image: Man smiling in an orange sweater against a bright blue background]

In an evening of laughter, tears and sociology, Brian Copeland's acclaimed solo show “Not a Genuine Black Man” is a hilarious and insightful look at Bay Area history, and at the ways in which our upbringings make us who we are.

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Order Up! Backstage at "Clyde's"

Jun 3, 2024

Join director Aldo Billingslea and other artists from "Clyde's" in this online talkback. These events are free, up-close, and lots of fun!

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Clyde's

Runs May 16 - Jun 9, 2024

Written by:Lynn Nottage

Directed by:Aldo Billingslea

Supported by:Producers Sandra Moll & Rick Holden

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

Clyde’s sandwich shop is more than just a greasy spoon. It serves up a chance at redemption for its formerly incarcerated kitchen staff. Clyde may be a devil of a boss, but the workers discover purpose in their lives as they find themselves banding together -- and sharing a quest to create the perfect sandwich.

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Black & White Time Warp Ball

Apr 27, 2024

Dynamic live performances, a sit-down dinner catered by Il Fornaio, and your favorite City Lights actors telling their favorite theater stories? Yes please! Come do the Time Warp with us at our fundraising gala on Saturday, April 27.

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Nineteen Jazz Orchestra: TV & Movie Themes

Apr 14, 2024

[image: A lineup of five jazz musicians playing saxophones and other instruments]

Some of your favorite TV and movie themes were scored for a Big Band! Join Nineteen Jazz Orchestra, San Jose's professional Big Band, for an unforgettable evening of live music emceed by Mercury News columnist Sal Pizarro. (This event was rescheduled from Feb. 4 after the theater lost power during a storm.)

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Nothing but Net: Backstage at "King Liz"

Apr 2, 2024

Join director Kinan Valdez and other artists from "King Liz" in this online talkback. These events are free, up-close, and lots of fun!

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King Liz

Runs Mar 21 - Apr 21, 2024

Written by:Fernanda Coppel

Directed by:Kinan Valdez

Supported by:Producers Anita Kapadia and Feroze Taraporevala

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

[image: Neon light blue and lavender lights delineating a basketball court]

Sports agents have to fight to stay on top. If you’re a woman, it’s doubly hard. With an elite client roster, Liz Rico is poised to take over the agency she’s helped build. Then she takes on high school basketball superstar Freddie Luna. With a temper as hot as his talent, he could make his career and hers if she can keep things under control. But at what price?

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Nora: A Doll's Zoom

Feb 6, 2024

Join director Angie Higgins and other artists from "Nora: A Doll's House" in this online talkback. These events are free, up-close, and lots of fun!

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Nora: A Doll's House

Runs Jan 18 - Feb 18, 2024

Written by:Stef Smith, after Henrik Ibsen

Directed by:Angie Higgins

Northern California premiere!

Supported by:Producers Christy Martin & Cindy Melter, and by Producers who wish to remain anonymous

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

This bold new retelling of a classic sets the story in 1918, 1968 and 2018. In each era, Nora is the flawless wife and mother. But she has a secret that threatens to upend her perfect existence. Ibsen outraged audiences when "A Doll’s House" premiered in 1879. Today, we look back at the roles that women have been allowed to play over the decades, and wonder how far we’ve really come.

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The Zoom's Afoot

Dec 6, 2023

[image: A tall man in a dapper fedora and velour suit helps a stylish woman in a black dress out of a long green 1930s Packard automobile]

If you thought "The Game's Afoot" was a ton of fun onstage, wait until you hear the artists' backstage stories! Join director Mark Anderson Phillips and members of the cast for a lighthearted Zoom talkback.

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Ren's Ninth Annual Winter Wonderland

Runs Dec 3 - Dec 10, 2023

[image: White woman with a long red winter coat and a big smile, turning her palms up to the images of snowflake graphics falling from above]

Jazz-blues-country singer Ren Geisick is back for her ninth annual Winter Wonderland holiday concerts at City Lights! Enjoy seasonal favorites and new tunes with Ren and her band.

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Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot; Or Holmes for the Holidays

Runs Nov 16 - Dec 17, 2023

Written by:Ken Ludwig

Directed by:Mark Anderson Phillips

Supported by:Producer Charlie McCollum and Producer Clint Moore

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

[image: Art Deco chandelier lit up and hanging from the ceiling]

This hilarious whodunit is "Blithe Spirit" meets "The Hollow"! Set during Christmas 1936, the comedy takes us into the Connecticut castle of Broadway star William Gillette, renowned for his stage turns as Sherlock Holmes. The weekend party is all fun and games until one of the guests gets murdered, and Gillette has to play Sherlock for real.

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Toxic: The story of a world premiere

Oct 4, 2023

[image: White hand holding Black hand against a soft, blurry, pale background]

Sometimes we need theater to help us talk about -- and make sense of -- serious issues. Join us at a free Zoom discussion about how we created the powerful new drama "Toxic," featuring our playwright, director and cast members.

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Nineteen: The music of Oliver Nelson

Oct 1, 2023

[image: Hands of a person playing a trumpet in a black-and-white image]

San Jose's professional big band treats you to the sounds of Oliver Nelson, an American jazz musician, composer, and bandleader. Part of our Lights & Music Concert Series.

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Toxic

Runs Sep 14 - Oct 15, 2023

Written by:Kit Wilder

Directed by:Jeffrey Bracco

World Premiere!

Supported by:Producers Connie & Paul Boulay

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

[image: Yellow backpack and school supplies, including a gun, under dramatic lighting]

Five years after a student opened fire at an exclusive private high school, the survivors gather for the first time. Sitting in the classroom where the attack reached its horrifying climax, the students share their scars, and engage in a debate that takes them from solitary anger to communal grief, and finally to healing.

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Backstage at "Kinky Boots"

Aug 14, 2023

Join us for backstage stories and behind-the-scenes secrets at this Zoom talkback with the team from "Kinky Boots."

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Rock Cabaret for B.A.D. Musical Theatre

Aug 13, 2023

A fundraising cabaret for B.A.D. Musical Theatre, chock full of songs from rock musicals like "American Idiot," "Rent," and "The Rocky Horror Show." Local Bay Area actors will belt their faces off, backed by a live band in a hybrid rock'n'roll musical theatre performance!

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Kinky Boots

Runs Jul 13 - Aug 27, 2023

Book by:Harvey Fierstein

Music & lyrics by:Cyndi Lauper

Original production directed & choreographed by:Jerry Mitchell

Based on the Miramax motion picture by:Geoff Deane & Tim Firth

Directed by:Lisa Mallette and Mark Anderson Phillips

Vocal direction by:Samuel Cisneros

Choreography by:Lysander Abadia

Supported by:Producer Charlie McCollum, Producers Richard & Peggy James, and Producers Christy Martin & Cindy Melter

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

[image: high-heeled boot against a flashy red background]

Charlie Price has reluctantly inherited his father's shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. Trying to live up to his father's legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola, a fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos. As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they realized...and discover that when you change your mind, you can change your whole world.

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Dive into "The River Bride"

Jun 6, 2023

[image: Four actors lined up closely behind each other]

Dive into backstage stories and behind-the-scenes secrets at this Zoom talkback with the team from "The River Bride."

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Nineteen: A tribute to Al Jarreau

May 21, 2023

San Jose's professional big band treats you to the sounds of the late great Al Jarreau, an iconic American R&B, soul and pop singer and musician. Part of our Lights & Music Concert Series.

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The River Bride

Runs May 18 - Jun 11, 2023

Written by:Marisela Treviño Orta

Directed by:John R. Lewis

Supported by:Producers who wish to remain anonymous

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

Once upon a time, in a fishing village along the Amazon, there lived two sisters struggling to find their "happily ever after." Helena is dreading her sister Belmira's wedding. The groom should have been hers, and she knows her sister wants only to escape to an exciting new life in the city. But three days before the wedding, fishermen pull a mysterious stranger out of the river – a man with no past who offers both sisters an alluring, possibly dangerous future. Brazilian folklore and lyric storytelling blend into a heartrending tale of true love, regret and transformation.

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Backstage at "Blithe Spirit"

Apr 4, 2023

Books are catapulted off the shelves. Pictures fall off the wall. And that was all on purpose. Join director Mark Anderson Phillips and the "Blithe Spirit" team for a lively discussion about the making of the show.

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Blithe Spirit

Runs Mar 23 - Apr 23, 2023

Written by:Noël Coward

Directed by:Mark Anderson Phillips

Supported by:Executive Producer Toggle Hagan, as well as Producer Clint Moore and Producer Geri Weimers

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

[image: Two hands holding a crystal ball against a purple-and-black background]

Just like the mischievous ghost Elvira, Noël Coward’s 1941 comedy keeps coming back for a reason. The oft-revived "Blithe Spirit," delightful as ever, takes up residence on the City Lights stage this spring. When novelist Charles invites the eccentric medium Madame Arcati over for a séance to help shake his writer’s block, she conjures up his late wife. And Elvira is happy to stir up a little trouble – especially when it comes to Charles’ current marriage.

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Miss You Like Hell

Runs Jan 26 - Feb 26, 2023

Book & lyrics by:Quiara Alegría Hudes

Music & lyrics by:Erin McKeown

Directed and choreographed by:Rodrigo García

Music direction by:Samuel Cisneros

Co-produced with:Teatro Visión

Supported by:Executive Producer Charlie McCollum and Producers Jonathan Karpf & Kathie Zaretsky, as well as by Applied Materials Community Fund and SVCreates, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara.

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

[image: Postcard for Miss You Like Hell with a red truck driving on a remote road with mountains in the background]

When Beatriz shows up at her 16-year-old daughter Olivia's house at 4 a.m. and invites her on an epic road trip, they haven't seen each other in four years. But Beatriz is an undocumented immigrant about to be deported to Mexico, and time is running out. From Philadelphia to California, from estranged to reunited, Beatriz and Olivia take a transformative journey, meeting a diverse array of Americans with their own stories to tell. An important and intimate new musical rich with family, humor and heart.

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The Thanksgiving Play

Runs Nov 25 - Dec 18, 2022

Written by:Larissa FastHorse

Directed by:Roneet Aliza Rahamim

Supported by:Producers Jonathan Karpf and Kathleen Zaretsky

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

[image: smashed pie against a wooden background]

They're totally woke and perpetually P.C. So how can this motley group of teaching artists create a Thanksgiving pageant that won't offend anyone? A director who's already in trouble with the school parents tries to get her troupe to honor both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month, while being culturally sensitive (and also mindful of vegan allies). The result: a delicious satire.

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Every Brilliant Thing

Runs Sep 15 - Oct 16, 2022

Written by:Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe

Supported by:Producers Connie & Paul Boulay and Rick Holden & Sandra Moll

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

[image: Vanilla soft-serve ice cream cone against a magenta background with book pattern]

Our 2022-23 season begins with this poignant one-person comedy that we're turning into a bilingual two-actor play! City Lights favorites Tasi Alabastro (English) and Dane K. Lentz (American Sign Language) pair up in a play about sadness that celebrates life's joys.

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Fun Home

Runs Jul 14 - Aug 21, 2022

Music by:Jeanine Tesori

Book and lyrics by:Lisa Kron

Based on the graphic novel by:Alison Bechdel

Directed by:Lisa Mallette

Music direction by:Samuel Cisneros

Choreography by:Noëlle GM Gibbs

Supported by:Visionary Producer Jim Lewis and Executive Producer Charlie McCollum

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

We close our 2021-22 season with this gorgeous musical! When her father dies unexpectedly, graphic novelist Alison dives into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and life. Moving between past and present, Alison relives her childhood playing at the family’s funeral home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father’s hidden desires.

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Waiting For Next: Video On Demand

Runs Jun 9 - Jul 4, 2022

Written by:Jeffrey Lo

Directed by:Leslie Martinson

Supported by:Executive Producer Lauren Doyle & Executive Producer Toggle Hagan (Man's Best Friend)

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

Frank is in a school parking lot waiting for his parents (like he always is) when he meets Marcus, who is also waiting (like he always is). What comes next is a friendship that defines both of their lives. This world-premiere play follows the boys from ages 12 to 40 as they grow up and apart and together again. Now you can enjoy it on your home screen.

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The Solo Projects: Lola Cooked Our Food

Runs Jun 2 - Jun 30, 2022

Written by:Jeffrey Lo

Directed by:Michelle Talgarow

Series supported by:Mission City Community Fund

In this series of one-act solo plays by writers in the BIPOC community, we feature works commissioned by City Lights and released on video so that all will be able to experience them. The first play is the beautiful "Lola Cooked Our Food" by Jeffrey Lo.

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The Solo Projects: 61 Unused Pages

Runs Jun 2 - Jun 30, 2022

Written by:Vincent Terrell Durham

Directed by:Aldo Billingslea

Series supported by:Mission City Community Fund

[Image: featured image for 61 unused pages]

We’re excited to continue our series of one-act solo plays by writers in the BIPOC community, commissioned by City Lights and released on video so that all will be able to experience them. The second play is "61 Unused Pages" by Vincent Terrell Durham, available to watch on demand in June.

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Waiting For Next

Runs May 19 - Jun 19, 2022

Written by:Jeffrey Lo

Directed by:Leslie Martinson

Supported by:Executive Producer Lauren Doyle & Executive Producer Toggle Hagan (Man's Best Friend)

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

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Vietgone

Runs Mar 24 - Apr 24, 2022

Written by:Qui Nguyen

Original music by:Shane Rettig

Directed by:Jeffrey Lo

Supported by:Executive Producers Sandra Moll & Rick Holden and Rich & Sally Braugh

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

It’s 1975, Saigon has fallen, and Quang and Tong should be grateful they’ve made it to the United States. But he lost his wife and she lost her brother. And Arkansas is way too weird. In this irreverent comedy told in Qui Nguyen’s audacious style, these two Vietnamese refugees try to find their way home, wherever that is. In the process, they just might find each other. Modern hip-hop meets 1970s America in an exciting mashup of history and cultures.

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The Hollow

Runs Jan 20 - Feb 20, 2022

Written by:Agatha Christie

Directed by:Doll Piccotto

Supported by:Producers Connie & Paul Boulay

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

There’s a wife and a husband, a mistress and a movie star, and plenty of other people tangled up in romantic situations, but only one does the deed. And by “deed,” we mean “murder.” After all, this is an Agatha Christie play. With classic mystery and surprising humor, "The Hollow" takes audiences into a lovely English country house on a very eventful weekend. Bring your alibis.

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Native Gardens

Runs Nov 18 - Dec 19, 2021

Written by:Karen Zacarías

Directed by:Melinda Marks

Supported by:Producers Christy Martin and Cindy Melter and Producers who wish to remain anonymous

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

Pablo, a high-powered lawyer, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, are realizing the American dream when they purchase a house next door to community stalwarts Virginia and Frank. But a disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spirals into an all-out war of taste, class, privilege, and entitlement. The hilarious results guarantee no one comes out smelling like a rose.

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Coded

Runs Sep 16 - Oct 17, 2021

Written and directed by:Kirsten Brandt

Supported by:Visionary Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch and Producers Marv and Bonnie Bamburg

Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch

Jerrie was on her way to being a leader in the gaming industry, until a competitor armed with a legion of internet trolls launched an assault on her, and she was forced into hiding. Now, she’s back with a plan to revolutionize virtual-reality gaming. If she can keep the trolls at bay and control over her team, she might be able to dismantle the industry’s boys’ club. But when the virtual world begins to invade the real one, things get really surreal.

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citylights_amadeus_georgepsarras_piano — *George Psarras in Amadeus. Photo by Mike Ko*

2024-25 season
Head Over Heels  with songs by The Go-Go’s, based on “The Arcadia” by Sir Philip Sidney, conceived and original book by Jeff Whitty, and adapted by James Magruder
The Cake by Bekah Brunstetter
The Mousetrap  by Agatha Christie
In Love and Warcraft  by Madhuri Shekar
Truce: A Christmas Wish from the Great War by Kit Wilder & Jeffrey Bracco
An Inspector Calls  by J.B. Priestley

2023-24 season
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show with book, music and lyrics by Richard O’Brien
Clyde’s by Lynn Nottage
King Liz by Fernanda Coppel
Nora: A Doll’s House by Stef Smith, after Henrik Ibsen
Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot by Ken Ludwig
Toxic by Kit Wilder

2022-23 season
Kinky Boots by Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper
The River Bride by Marisela Treviño Orta
Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward
Miss You Like Hell by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Erin McKeown
The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse
Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe

2021-22 season
Fun Home by Jeanine Tesori, Lisa Kron and Alison Bechdel
Waiting for Next by Jeffrey Lo
Vietgone by Qui Nguyen
The Hollow by Agatha Christie
Native Gardens by Karen Zacarías
Coded by Kirsten Brandt

2021-22 season digital plays
61 Unused Pages by Vincent Terrell Durham
Lola Cooked Our Food by Jeffrey Lo

2020-21 season
A Christmas Carol (new solo, streamed adaptation by Mark Anderson Phillips)

2019-20 season
Coded by Kirsten Brandt (two previews before the Covid shutdown)
Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl
The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon
The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe

2018-19 season
Cabaret: Book by Joe Masteroff; based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood; music by John Kander; lyrics by Fred Ebb
Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
Mothers and Sons by Terrence McNally
Making God Laugh by Sean Grennan
God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton

2017-18 season
In the Heights, with music & lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and book by Quiara Alegría Hudes; conceived by Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Siegel by Michael Mitnick
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Alabama Story by Kenneth Jones
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon
Stupid Fucking Bird by Aaron Posner, sort of adapted from The Seagull by Anton Chekhov

2016-17 season
LIZZIE by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Tim Maner and Alan Stevens Hewitt
Rapture, Blister, Burn by Gina Gionfriddo
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, adapted by Kit Wilder
Ideation by Aaron Loeb
Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, based on the Miramax motion picture by Juliette Towhidi and Tim Firth
Other Desert Cities by Jon Robin Baitz

2015-16 season
Green Day’s American Idiot by Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer
I and You by Lauren Gunderson
The Elephant Man by Bernard Pomerance
Tigers Be Still by Kim Rosenstock
Handle With Care by Jason Odell Williams with Hebrew by Charlotte Cohn
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

2014-15 season
West Side Story by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim,
Exit, Pursued by a Bear by Lauren Gunderson
M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang
Build by Michael Golamco
Truce: A Christmas Wish from the Great War by Kit Wilder & Jeffrey Bracco
Art by Yasmina Reza

2013-14 season
Animals Out of Paper by Rajiv Joseph
Coney Island Christmas by Donald Margulies
The Smell of the Kill by Michele Lowe
Amadeus by Peter Shaffer
The Language Archive by Julia Cho
Monty Python’s SPAMALOT, book & Lyrics by Eric Idle, music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle

2012-13 season
44 Plays for 44 Presidents by Andy Bayiates, Sean Benjamin, Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Chloe Johnston, and Karen Weinberg
Christmas Shorts by Matt Hoverman
Ching Chong Chinaman by Lauren Yee
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, adapted in a new version by Brian Friel
Spacebar: A Broadway Play by Kyle Sugarman by Michael Mitnick
The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O’Brien

2011-12 season
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris
Aphrodisiac by Rob Handel
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play by Sarah Ruhl
Chicago, with book by Bob Fosse & Fred Ebb, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb

2010-11 season
First Day of School by Billy Aronson
Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party by Aaron Loeb
Compleat Female Stage Beauty by Jeffrey Hatcher
Equus by Peter Shaffer
Distracted by Lisa Loomer
Nine, with book by Arthur Kopit, music & lyrics by Maury Yeston

2009-10 season
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis
Another Night Before Christmas by Sean Grennan and Leah Okimoto
Dead Man Walking by Tim Robbins
Frank Langella’s Cyrano by Edmond Rostand
Second Weekend in September by Andrew Black
Rent by Jonathan Larson

2008-09 season
Noises Off by Michael Frayn
Rapunzel, or Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow by Marian Partee and Eric Holt
First Person Shooter by Aaron Loeb
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, adapted by Kit Wilder
Stop Kiss by Diana Son
The Who’s Tommy, with book by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff, music & lyrics by Pete Townshend

2007-08 season
Angels in America: Part II by Tony Kushner
Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol by Tom Mula
Boy Gets Girl by Rebecca Gilman
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
A Few Good Men by Aaron Sorkin
Hair, with book by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, music by Galt MacDermot

2006-07 season
Angels in America: Part I by Tony Kushner
A Christmas Twist by Doug Armstrong, Keith Cooper, Maureen Morley, and The Illegitimate Players
Fat Pig by Neil LaBute
Voluntary Amnesia by Melissa Dylan
The Goat or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee
The Full Monty by Terence McNally, score by David Yazbeck

2005-06 season
Proof by David Auburn
Wise Women by Ron Osborne
Visiting Mr. Green by Jeff Baron
The Nerd by Larry Shue
String of Pearls by Michele Lowe
Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice

2004-05 season
Clouds Hill by Charles Evered
Heroes by Jonathan Brady
The Waiting Room by Lisa Loomer
What the Butler Saw by Joe Orton
A… My Name is Alice by Joan Micklin Silver and Julianne Boyd
The Pavilion by Craig Wright

2003-04 season
The Bible: The Complete Word of God (Abridged) by Adam Long, Reed Martin, Austin Tichenor, and Matthew Croke
A Shayna Maidel by Barbara Lebow
Wonder of the World by David Lindsay-Abaire
Assassins, with music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by John Weidman, based on an original concept by Charles Gilbert Jr.

2002-03 season
Don Juan in Chicago by David Ives
The Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris
Sylvia by A.R. Gurney
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress by Alan Ball
The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O’Brien

2001-02 season
The Voice of the Prairie by John Olive
The Miser by Molière
Oleanna by David Mamet
The House of Correction by Norman Lock
Queen of America by C.D. Payne
The Complete History of America (Abridged) by Adam Long, Reed Martin,and Austin Tichenor
Comic Potential by Alan Ayckbourn

2000-01 season
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by Daniel Singer, Adam Long, and Jess Winfield
Get Scrooged, a collection of short plays
Suburban Motel I: Problem Child & Adult Entertainment by George F. Walker
Table Manners by Alan Ayckbourn
Suburban Motel II: Criminal Genius & The End of Civilization by George F. Walker
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

1999-00 season
Lysistrata by Aristophanes
Cosi by Louis Nowra
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) by Daniel Singer, Adam Long, and Jess Winfield
Ladyhouse Blues by Kevin O’Morrison
Return to Morality by Jamie Pachino
Resident Alien by Stuart Spencer
Italian American Reconciliation by John Patrick Shanley

1998-99 season
The Monogamist by Christopher Kyle
And To All a Good Night by Buck Busfield
Sight Unseen by Donald Marguiles
Old Dirty Face by Michael S. Malone
Hair Book by Gerome Ragni and James Rado, music by Galt MacDermot
City Lights Unplugged, a collection of short plays

1997-98 season
When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder? by Mark Medoff
Nutcracker This!, a collection of short plays
The Food Chain by Nicky Silver
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
New Playwrights’ Showcase
Beyond Therapy by Christopher Durang

1996-97 season
The Swan by Elizabeth Egloff
Definitely NOT a Christmas Carol, a collection of short plays having nothing to do with that winter holiday
The Immaculate Conception by Christopher Durang
Below the Belt by Richard Dresser
Mumblypeg, a sketch comedy group with former ComedySportz improvisers Derek McCaw, Gale Brennan, Ed Meehan, John Mannion, Henry Joe Peterson, Michael Sherman, and Scott Sherman
Healin’ Dirt Diner by Pamela J. Gray & Mary Casey

1995-96 season
Betty the Yeti by Jon Klein
Sacco-Vanzetti by Mauricio Kartun
Fat Men in Skirts by Nicky Silver
I Am Yours by Judith Thompson
North Shore Fish by Israel Horovitz

1994-95 season
Coming Attractions by Ted Tally, music by Jack Feldman, lyrics by Jack Feldman and Bruce Sussman
More Fun than Bowling by Steven Dietz
Praying Mantis by Alejandro Sieveking
Little Murders by Jules Feiffer
Joined at the Head by Catherine Butterfield
Men on the Verge of a His-panic Breakdown by Guillermo Reyes
Pamela Pesto Perfect’s Emotional Garage Sale
God: A Comedy in One Act by Woody Allen

1993-94 season
Tales of the Lost Formicans by Constance Congdon
The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe
Remembrance by Graham Reid
The Stick Wife by Darrah Cloud
Henceforward… by Alan Ayckbourn

1992-93 season
All She Cares About is the Yankees by John Ford Noonan / A ComedySportz improv match
Yankee Dawg You Die by Phillip Kan Gotanda
The Kathy & Mo Show: Parallel Lives by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy
Comedians by Trevor Griffiths

1991-92 season
Baby with the Bathwater by Christopher Durang
Road by Jim Cartwright
The Guitarron by Lynne Alvarez
The Speed of Darkness by Steve Tesich
Reckless by Craig Lucas

1990-91 season
Hunting Cockroaches by Janusz Glowacki
Demons and Violets
Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You by Christopher Durang/I’m Herbert by Robert Anderson
Road to Mecca by Athol Fugard
Mrs. California by Doris Baizley

1989-90 season
Seascape with Sharks and Dancers by Edward Albee
3 Guys Naked from the Waist Down by Jerry Colker and Michael Rupert

1988-89 season
The Marriage of Bette and Boo by Christopher Durang
The Hothouse by Harold Pinter
Cat’s Paw by William Mastrosimone
Bent by Martin Sherman
A Girl’s Guide to Chaos by Cynthia Heimel
The Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo
Beirut by Alan Bowne
Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune by Terence McNally
The Fantasticks by Tom Jones

1987-88 season
The Rape of Maria Perez by Joseph Morella
The Connection by Jack Gelber
Life is a Dream by Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Hold Me! By Jules Feiffer
The Conference of the Birds by Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carriere
Jacques and His Master by Milan Kundera
Celebrity
Turlock Tanzi by Claire Luckman

1986-87 season
Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill
The Marowitz Hamlet by Charles Marowitz
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman
Travesties by Tom Stoppard
The Freak by David Bar Katz and John Leguizamo
You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running by Robert Anderson
The Ghosts of Sara Winchester by Leigh Weimers & Gael Douglas
Other Places: Picnic of the Battlefield & One for the Road by Harold Pinter

1985-86 season
How I Got That Story by Amlin Gray
Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You by Christopher Durang/Tira Tells You Everything You Need to Know about Herself by Michael Weller
A California Christmas Carol
Streamers by David Rabe
The Island by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona
An Evening of French Theater: The Human Voice by John Cocteau & The Maids by Jean Genet
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg by Peter Nichols
Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You & The Actor’s Nightmare by Christopher Durang
The Ballad of Cockeyed Charlie by Denis Marks

1984-85 season
Beyond Therapy by Christoper Durang
Marat/Sade by Peter Weiss
Untitled (We Won’t Play Nature to Your Culture) by Barbara Kruger
Noontime Theater
Old Friends: The Gloaming & Oh My Darling by Megan Terry & The Duck Variations by David Mamet

1983-84 season
Ladyhouse Blues by Kevin O’Morrison
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Gas adapted by Jay Morse from the plays of Georg Faiser

1982-83 season
Exit the King by Eugene Ionesco
Shifting Places by Denis Marks
The Lover by Harold Pinter
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