Welcome to City Lights!
Since 1982, we’ve been inspiring, challenging and connecting with audiences through live theater. Starting in September: Our exciting new season of plays and musicals! Buy your season pass now to experience our full vision for 2023-24, and get the best savings on ticket prices.
See below for more about shows and tickets. We can’t wait to welcome you to the theater.
-Lisa Mallette, executive artistic director
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]](https://cltc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Toxic_background_web.jpg)
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.
Nineteen: The music of Oliver Nelson
Oct 1, 2023
![[image: Hands of a person playing a trumpet in a black-and-white image]](https://cltc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/jazz-background-trumpet.jpeg)
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.
Toxic: The story of a world premiere
Oct 4, 2023
![[image: White hand holding Black hand against a soft, blurry, pale background]](https://cltc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/TNS_image.jpg)
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.
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]](https://cltc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GamesAfoot.jpg)
This hilarious whodunit is "Blithe Spirit" meets "The Hollow" meets "The Play That Goes Wrong." 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.
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]](https://cltc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Ren-with-snowflakes-2023.jpg)
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.
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
![[image: A black lantern with a light inside, half-buried in the snow]](https://cltc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Nora_1710.jpg)
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 allowed women over the decades, and wonder how far we’ve really come.
King Liz
Runs Mar 21 - Apr 21, 2024
Written by:Fernanda Coppel
Directed by:Kinan Valdez
Season supported by:Season Producers Nancy B. Coleman & Paul M. Resch
![[image: Neon light blue and lavender lights delineating a basketball court]](https://cltc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/KingLiz.jpg)
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?
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.
Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show
Runs Jul 18 - Aug 25, 2024
Book, Music and Lyrics by:Richard O'Brien
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!