←Recommendations of LIGHTS UP!

Oh, how I wish I could show this piece to some of the actors I've run across in my time onstage. I am constantly dumbfounded by some of the choices that are made just like the ones JUSTIN makes in this play. Dismissing a true connection to the play and their fellow actors in the name of giving the audience what they want (or so they believe), is so frustratingly self-serving. I defy anyone who has walked the stage to tell me they've never encountered this character for real. As on-target as it gets.

“Make strong choices” is a staple in the Theater . . . but what happens when obviously wrong choices are being made? That’s the comic premise in Jack Levine’s enjoyable 10-minute play. When egos collide there is plenty of emotional shrapnel exploding about the rehearsal room, but we are humorously reminded of another theatrical truth--emotional honesty will always best bombast.

Oh jeez... This gentle roasting is So funny and SO relatable for anyone who has ever performed in theatre. A great little comedy with characters and situations you will recognize. Would be a great addition to an evening of shorts!

As someone who has sat through a number of plays (mine included) in which actors seem to be randomly moving about the stage, I am totally here for this marvelous play, in which an egotistical actor receives his comeuppance. Levine expertly generates big laughs with his well-drawn characters. I wanted this clever scenario to go on longer. Playwrights will love this, theatres should be required to produce it, and actors should be required to see it.

A delightful short from Jack Levine that puts the egotistical community theatre actor in his place and demonstrates that if you follow the script and its emotional cues, most of the hard work is done. Plenty of fun and recognizable to anyone who's done any kind of community theatre!

This little gem would light up any short play festival! We've all known actors like Justin, big fish in small ponds, above taking direction no matter how reasonably and patiently offered. Seeing him get what's coming in the form of a humble janitor was both laugh out loud funny and truly gratifying. Would love to see this on stage! Highly recommend Lights Up!

A fun play about big fish in small ponds. Jack Levine's clever play reminds us that we can all learn, no matter how much we think we know. Fast dialogue without one word wasted. Lovely dramatic tension.

This clever, well-crafted short play reminds us all that humility is a virtue worth cultivating. Appropriate for all ages, this play would be a welcomed addition to any one-act play festival. This play within a play makes you squirm because you feel as if you have sneaked into a community theater rehearsal and are watching a frustrated director duking it out with a pompous windbag of an actor, who thinks he is God’s gift to the stage. I loved, loved, loved the ending!

I've seen so many plays where I wondered why the character came downstage center to deliver their lines when the people they are talking to are behind them. Now I know why! We need more Josephs in the theatre and less Justins! Listen to your director and connect with your fellow actors...like this play connected with me! :)

This is a very satisfying piece for those of us who sometimes find themselves thinking that actors are little more than props with feet. Jack Levine skewers the overcooked ham deftly and serves him up on a platter. And meanwhile, a star is born.