Light Switch

FULL-LENGTH: Spanning twenty years, "Light Switch" follows the story of Henry, an autistic gay man with a passion for 19th century British literature, and his quest for love and acceptance.
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Light Switch

Recommended by

  • Andy Boyd:
    21 Sep. 2023
    Light Switch is a profound and funny play that smashes stereotypes about autistic adults while also telling a great story. As an autistic playwright, I found reading this play very inspiring. Henry is a character who learns and grows throughout the show, but that growth is on his own terms, not in search for some neurotypical "normal." I also appreciated the ways this play depicts autism as a strength, particularly in Henry's single-mided devotion to scholarly study.
  • Judith Pratt:
    10 Aug. 2022
    I so rarely am delighted with a script--and Light Switch had me reading without pausing. Maybe because I love the same authors that the main character Henry does? (Except for Wuthering Heights...) No, it's just such a clear coming of age story--coming of age complicated by being gay, too smart, and having autism. I'm so glad this script has garnered such success.
  • Jackson Tucker-Meyer:
    22 May. 2022
    Euphoric, messy, confusing, frightening – these adjectives can apply to being in love, or being autistic in a neurotypical world, and Osmundsen evokes both experiences with warmth and clarity. Henry, the protagonist, is obsessed with the classics of nineteenth-century literature, and like those great novels, the romantic misadventures of this play's characters are depicted with a minimum of sentimentality and a wealth of empathy. Everyone in this play is yearning for something or someone they can't quite reach, but they never stop trying, and Osmundsen leaves the audience with the hope that someday, maybe, they just might succeed.

Character Information

  • Henry
    7 - 28,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Gay and autistic.
  • Roggie
    21 - 28,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Henry's roommate, gay
  • Joseph
    29,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Gay, handsome
  • Marian
    33 - 54,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    HENRY's mother
  • Multiple Roles
    11 - 28,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Must play the following roles: AARON (a kid HENRY used to play with, age 11), KEN (a college student, age 20), and ANOTHER GUY (23).

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    The Commons
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    Spectrum Theatre Ensemble
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    ASU Theatre Lab
    ,
    2019

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Spectrum Theatre Ensemble
    ,
    2022
  • University
    ,
    Arizona State University
    ,
    2021

Awards

Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award
,
Distinguished Achievement, KCACTF
,
2021
Finalist
,
Bay Area Playwrights Conference
,
2021
Semi-Finalist
,
New American Voices Playwriting Festival
,
The Landing Theatre Company
,
2020
Semi-Finalist
,
O'Neill Playwrights Conference
,
2020
Finalist
,
Carlo Annoni Playwriting Prize
,
2020
Theatre503 International Playwriting Prize
,
Longlist
,
2020