←Recommendations of The Light Keepers

I had the privilege of watching a reading of this play performed by college students for an audience of their peers, and the impact of the story was palpable and electric. The Light Keepers is full of just that: light. Partain weaves a dark and intricate story and uses it to uncover the sparkle and beauty that lives inside each character. Full of beautiful monologues, rich characters, and relatable scenes, this play will be an instant favorite for high school and college aged performers. I can't wait for the opportunity to one day see it fully staged!

This sweet, earnest play examines grief and friendship by looking at the world through a temporal rip in the universe that allows us to see how our lives might be different. Rather than a simple "grass is greener" metaphor, this play shows the complicated and messy lives of teenagers who have experienced too much loss on both sides of the rift. At times funny and incredibly moving, the play allows a younger cast to explore deep feelings through a sci-fi lens.

I saw this with a group of 20-something actors and it's difficult to express how impacted and moved they were by this. They were laughing through tears, they gasped, they clapped, they were absorbed completely the whole time. It was SO incredibly resonant for them, and me. It's a beautiful, delicate play that balances science-fiction and poetry, comedy and drama, real worlds and things beyond our understanding so skillfully. It gives young actors incredible roles that let them both flex and develop their skills. A rare, singular, shining star of a play.

I am prejudiced and think every play should begin with looking at the stars. Partain’s play looks at the stars and find worlds that our emotions beg for. In a world that shifts as teens do, Partain gives us slices of life grounded in love, regret, and hope. My wish is that all young performers can experience this play - both onstage and in the audience.

A time-and-space-altering play about friendship and human connection. Unique, extremely moving and beautifully rendered. Read it last week and still thinking about it. Brava!

A finalist (top 12 of 75 scripts we reviewed) in our reading series called "New Play Cafe." Very theatrical, exploration of parallel universes and what we might do if we discovered our duplicate selves in another dimension. Beautifully theatrical.