How the Light Gets In

by E. M. Lewis

A travel writer who never travels. A Japanese architect who can’t figure out how to build a simple tea house. A tattoo artist who refuses to draw on a woman’s skin. And a homeless girl who lives under a weeping willow tree in the Japanese Garden. A romantic comedy (of sorts) about four lonely people who find each other when one of them falls apart.

A travel writer who never travels. A Japanese architect who can’t figure out how to build a simple tea house. A tattoo artist who refuses to draw on a woman’s skin. And a homeless girl who lives under a weeping willow tree in the Japanese Garden. A romantic comedy (of sorts) about four lonely people who find each other when one of them falls apart.

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How the Light Gets In

Recommended by

  • Samantha Marchant: How the Light Gets In by E. M. Lewis
    “

    What stunning storytelling! I love each character and how they move through this world. Descriptions like comparing herself to a rainbow trout hit right every time. Highly recommend!

    What stunning storytelling! I love each character and how they move through this world. Descriptions like comparing herself to a rainbow trout hit right every time. Highly recommend!

    ”
  • Stephanie Alison Walker: How the Light Gets In by E. M. Lewis
    “

    How many different ways to say that E.M. Lewis' writing is gorgeous, human, transformative and healing? I'm adding my voice to these lovely recommendations to say that the shared pain of this play is what heals us all. Sharing the pain. Sharing our truth. Lewis' writing is so grounded and truthful in every single beat. She's one of the masters of subtext. The shared humanity of her work makes it relevant forever.

    How many different ways to say that E.M. Lewis' writing is gorgeous, human, transformative and healing? I'm adding my voice to these lovely recommendations to say that the shared pain of this play is what heals us all. Sharing the pain. Sharing our truth. Lewis' writing is so grounded and truthful in every single beat. She's one of the masters of subtext. The shared humanity of her work makes it relevant forever.

    ”
  • Ally Varitek: How the Light Gets In by E. M. Lewis
    “

    The heart of this play seems to find the divine in the mundane. That's the way the light gets in.

    Lewis' play is beautiful because it's normal, extraordinary because it's ordinary. Where we may often feel our own inadequacy to capture something that already exists, Lewis, like a weeping willow, shows resilient light peeking through sorrow in her play. I walked away from this work feeling renewed even in the recent sufferings of this world. I cannot recommend this play enough.

    The heart of this play seems to find the divine in the mundane. That's the way the light gets in.

    Lewis' play is beautiful because it's normal, extraordinary because it's ordinary. Where we may often feel our own inadequacy to capture something that already exists, Lewis, like a weeping willow, shows resilient light peeking through sorrow in her play. I walked away from this work feeling renewed even in the recent sufferings of this world. I cannot recommend this play enough.

    ”
View all 16 recommendations

Development History

  • Reading, Fertile Ground Festival, 2018
  • Workshop, Boston Court Pasadena, 2018

Production History

  • Professional, 1st Stage, 2023
  • Professional, Boston Court Pasadena, 2019

Awards

  • ATCA/Harold and Mimi Steinberg New Play Award
    American Theatre Critics Association
    Winner
    2020