Essential Starlite

by Zack Peercy

FULL LENGTH:[available upon request] Marcus Monroe has glaucoma and the ability to shoot lasers out of his eyes. He tries to avoid his past of government-sponsored heroics by living in the seclusion of a basement apartment in the suburbs, but he's thrust back into the world of Extraordinary Individuals when he meets Ameka Anderson, a young woman on the verge of a discovery that could save the world. An expansive...

FULL LENGTH:[available upon request] Marcus Monroe has glaucoma and the ability to shoot lasers out of his eyes. He tries to avoid his past of government-sponsored heroics by living in the seclusion of a basement apartment in the suburbs, but he's thrust back into the world of Extraordinary Individuals when he meets Ameka Anderson, a young woman on the verge of a discovery that could save the world. An expansive comic-inspired universe full of past exes, repressed trauma, and an ableist society awaits Marcus. He can't avoid the heroic spotlight forever.

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Essential Starlite

Recommended by

  • Playwrights Foundation: Essential Starlite

    The community of national & local readers for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in 2021 enthusiastically recommends ESSENTIAL STARLITE as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation out of 755 plays. We highly enjoyed and were excited by the superhero world of the play with a whole community of differently-abled characters, which is unfortunately too rare in theatre. We were compelled by this play's promise using engaging narratives to raise questions about power, exploitation, exposing truth, and sacrifice. We hope this play is widely read, finds dedicated collaborators, and moves swiftly...

    The community of national & local readers for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in 2021 enthusiastically recommends ESSENTIAL STARLITE as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation out of 755 plays. We highly enjoyed and were excited by the superhero world of the play with a whole community of differently-abled characters, which is unfortunately too rare in theatre. We were compelled by this play's promise using engaging narratives to raise questions about power, exploitation, exposing truth, and sacrifice. We hope this play is widely read, finds dedicated collaborators, and moves swiftly towards production. #BAPF2021

  • Andrea Kovich: Essential Starlite

    As a reader for BAPF 2021, this play was one of the most exciting works that I had the honor to read. With multiple disabled characters who have intersectional identities, this imaginative piece explores the complexities of disability and sacrifice. A bold play that centers authentic representation, it is thoroughly engaging while probing the deeper question of what being a hero truly means. Highly recommend.

    As a reader for BAPF 2021, this play was one of the most exciting works that I had the honor to read. With multiple disabled characters who have intersectional identities, this imaginative piece explores the complexities of disability and sacrifice. A bold play that centers authentic representation, it is thoroughly engaging while probing the deeper question of what being a hero truly means. Highly recommend.

  • J. Corey Buckner: Essential Starlite

    Full of imagination and heart, Essential Starlite, is a well, essential addition to the fabric of superhero stories woven so thickly into our modern world. A moving story of young people trying to make a difference in a world that so often sees disabled bodies as disposable and worthless. Peercy deftly comments on current issues without being preachy and overbearing. Do yourself a favor and read this play!

    Full of imagination and heart, Essential Starlite, is a well, essential addition to the fabric of superhero stories woven so thickly into our modern world. A moving story of young people trying to make a difference in a world that so often sees disabled bodies as disposable and worthless. Peercy deftly comments on current issues without being preachy and overbearing. Do yourself a favor and read this play!

View all 5 recommendations

Character Information

If you can't cast this show authentically, you can't perform this play.
  • The Pusher
    To be played by a Black Deaf actor who knows ASL
    Character Age
    late 40's - early 50's
  • Mayor Talbott
    To be played by a white able-bodied actor.
    Character Age
    Early 30's
  • Brian Talbott
    To be played by a white able-bodied actor.
    Character Age
    Late 30's
  • Doctor Daisey
    To be played by an able-bodied actor.
    Character Age
    20's
  • Marcus Monroe
    To be played by a white bisexual actor with glaucoma.
    Character Age
    late 20's
  • Ameka Anderson
    To be played by a Black 17-year-old actor who knows ASL.
    Character Age
    17
  • Isaac
    To be played by a gay Latinx actor with autism.
    Character Age
    20's
  • Faze
    To be played by a non-binary actor with muscular dystrophy.
    Character Age
    Early 30's
  • Nisha
    To be played by an Indian actor with bipolar disorder.
    Character Age
    late 20's

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization The New Colony - Writers Room, Year 2019

Awards