Our annual Lights Up! festival returns on Saturday, June 14, bringing bold new voices and unforgettable stories to the City Lights stage. This in-person celebration of new works features script-in-hand readings of two powerful plays, plus the return of our beloved Maker Fair, highlighting hand-crafted creations from local artists in our community. Thank you to our generous producers for this event, Elaine Baskin and Ken Krechmer! Pictured: Playwrights Anthony Doan and Amanda L. Andrei.
The afternoon kicks off at noon with the Maker Fair, which will be open before the first reading and in between the two. Then the readings start at 1 p.m. with The Soulmate Play by Anthony Doan, directed by Jacob Yoder-Schrock. This fresh, heartfelt play explores love across forms and times: ancient Egypt, Shakespearean times, the U.S. in the 1940s… Throughout the story, we follow two characters navigating a complex relationship, grappling with love, identity and the challenges of connection. As Pablo Neruda wrote in 100 Love Sonnets, “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.”
At 5 p.m., dive into a whirlwind of history, family and surreal survival with Helicopter Typhoon Carabao! or To Survive an Apocalypse Now, written by Amanda L. Andrei and directed by Mark Anderson Phillips. In 1976, the Philippines is experiencing unrest, and Francis Ford Coppola is filming “Apocalypse Now,” using the country as his neocolonial playground. The play explores the chaos of this period, with a civil war, a brewing typhoon, and the clash of Hollywood power against the need for liberation of the land and its people. Amidst this backdrop, what does it mean to have power and to control how others see you?
Lights Up! readings are script-in-hand, but often so immersive and vivid that audiences forget the actors are holding something. You’ll also get a chance to share your feedback — a vital part of the development process as these plays evolve toward full productions.
In between the two performances, enjoy a spaghetti feed, with both vegetarian and meat sauces and a salad. And of course the Maker Fair will be open during that time. This curated mini-market features handcrafted art and goods by artists including Lisa Mallette, Rebecca Wallace and Keenan Flagg. Rancho Roben Rescues will also be at the fair, selling farm-fresh eggs as a benefit for the organization, which operates an animal sanctuary offering a forever home to rescued farm animals.
Join us for an afternoon of innovation, inspiration and community as we spotlight the future of theater — right here in the South Bay.
Tickets are $20 for general admission and $10 for students.
Check out photos of the artists and art
Parking info:
Should you require ADA parking, email us or add a note to your order to reserve a spot in front of the glass doors. We will accommodate as many as possible. For everyone else, there’s free parking a short walk away. Most ParkSJ garages offer 90 minutes of free parking, and the parking website ParkSJ.org is a great resource providing real-time parking availability, maps and more.
The closest city lot is the First Street and I-280 Lot, under the freeway. Parking there is free on weekends and after 6 p.m. on weekdays.
![[image: Logo that reads PARKSJ: 90 minutes free]](https://cltc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ParkSJ_90-minutes-copy.jpg)