Lights Up, City Lights’ annual festival of new plays, brings you everything from quirky comedy to unpredictable romance to dark drama. Our up-and-coming playwrights have lots of stories to tell you.
After several years of the festival being a podcast series (thanks, Covid), Lights Up returned as an in-person event in 2024, complete with 2 new full-length play readings and a maker fair. Stay tuned for details about the 2025 festival.
The 2025 festival
Lights Up! returns on Saturday, June 14, 2025, bringing bold new voices and unforgettable stories to the stage. This in-person event features two exciting new plays: The Soulmate Play by Anthony Doan, directed by Jacob Yoder-Schrock, and Helicopter Typhoon Carabao! or To Survive an Apocalypse Now by Amanda L. Andrei, directed by Mark Anderson Phillips. Plus, the popular Maker Fair is back, showcasing unique, hand-crafted goods from local artists. Come for the plays, stay for the creativity. More details and tickets here!
The 2024 festival
“Lights Up!” festival of new plays returned in-person (yay!) on Sunday, Aug. 4. The lineup featured scripts by City Lights favorites, George Psarras and Max Tachis. The festival also had a Maker’s Fair showcasing a variety of artists and hand-crafted goods. Learn more about the event.
The 2023 festival
In 2023, we focused on one stellar new play: Second Hand Gods, by Peggy Powell. Directed by Caitlin Papp, this radio play on our Filament podcast featured voice acting by Maria Marquis and Nick Mandracchia, with music, editing and sound design by George Psarras and guitars by Paul Psarras. Listen on our website or wherever you get your podcasts.
Earlier festivals
Lights Up! was originally an in-person festival that also featured local visual artists showing and selling their work at the theater. During the pandemic shutdown in 2020, we moved the festival to a podcast series for a number of years. In 2024, we’re excited to bring the festival back to our theater with a Maker’s Fair.
An extra salute to everyone who was involved in the festival’s pioneering first years as a podcast series! Head to the 2022, 2021 and 2020 profiles pages to learn more about the festival playwrights, directors, and actors who were involved.