Erin Lekovic

Erin Lekovic is an educator, playwright, and producer who specializes in collaborative and devised theatre, site-inspired work, and Theatre for Young Audiences. Her plays have been developed and produced by Lyric Opera of Chicago, Greenhouse Theatre, Living Room Playmakers, Tellin' Tales Theatre, American Theatre Company, and others. She has twice been a semifinalist for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference and is a 2025-26 New Play Residency awardee at the Chicago Cultural Center for her play Daybreak. She's received grants from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), MAP Fund, and the Hillsborough Arts Council.

Erin is a core artist with Second Site Collective, a community engagement teaching artist with the Straz Center for...

Erin Lekovic is an educator, playwright, and producer who specializes in collaborative and devised theatre, site-inspired work, and Theatre for Young Audiences. Her plays have been developed and produced by Lyric Opera of Chicago, Greenhouse Theatre, Living Room Playmakers, Tellin' Tales Theatre, American Theatre Company, and others. She has twice been a semifinalist for the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Playwrights Conference and is a 2025-26 New Play Residency awardee at the Chicago Cultural Center for her play Daybreak. She's received grants from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), MAP Fund, and the Hillsborough Arts Council.

Erin is a core artist with Second Site Collective, a community engagement teaching artist with the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, and an adjunct theatre professor at the University of South Florida and Saint Leo University.

She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Miami and an MFA in Writing for the Screen + Stage from Northwestern University.

erinalekovic.com

Scripts

Daybreak

by Erin Lekovic and Jacob Watson

Songs by Laura Stratford

Synopsis

A mysterious Dimming effect is dulling life on Earth. MILES, a young scientist, and JEANETTE, a seasoned astronaut, are sent into space to fix it.

Back home, Miles’ sister DAPHNE has gone quiet while Jeanette’s wife CAPRIA is counting the days until her hero’s return.

Out on the open waters, a wanderlustful SAILOR finds himself washed up on an unfamiliar shore—moved by visions of a brighter future, yet...

A mysterious Dimming effect is dulling life on Earth. MILES, a young scientist, and JEANETTE, a seasoned astronaut, are sent into space to fix it.

Back home, Miles’ sister DAPHNE has gone quiet while Jeanette’s wife CAPRIA is counting the days until her hero’s return.

Out on the open waters, a wanderlustful SAILOR finds himself washed up on an unfamiliar shore—moved by visions of a brighter future, yet longing for something more.

But when an unexpected collision cuts off Miles' and Jeanette's communication with Earth, the two cosmonauts must decide whether to continue their mission to combat the Dimming or abandon it to return to the very people they set out to save.

Orbits in space, on land, and at sea entangle with visions of home, leading everyone to uncover what they might have known all along: that awe returns us to each other.

Script available on request.

The Pandora Effect

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

Pandora's dealing with a new husband who can't read her emotions without using an app, a primal urge to open a forbidden box, and an insatiable need to ask questions. The Pandora Effect is a fourth-wall-breaking journey, empowering audiences to question inherited narratives and rewrite one of humanity's oldest cautionary tales.

Pandora's dealing with a new husband who can't read her emotions without using an app, a primal urge to open a forbidden box, and an insatiable need to ask questions. The Pandora Effect is a fourth-wall-breaking journey, empowering audiences to question inherited narratives and rewrite one of humanity's oldest cautionary tales.

The Cornbread Kid

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

The Cornbread Kid is a theatrical adaptation of The Gingerbread Man set in Florida's
Everglades. When a curious cornbread child runs away from her corn-stalk parents, she
encounters colorful swamp creatures who show her how the Everglades thrives through
connection. But when a hungry Florida Man threatens to eat her, she must rely on her new
swamp friends and their connected ecosystem to escape and find her way...

The Cornbread Kid is a theatrical adaptation of The Gingerbread Man set in Florida's
Everglades. When a curious cornbread child runs away from her corn-stalk parents, she
encounters colorful swamp creatures who show her how the Everglades thrives through
connection. But when a hungry Florida Man threatens to eat her, she must rely on her new
swamp friends and their connected ecosystem to escape and find her way back to her cornstalk
parents.

Ybor Interrupted

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

Ybor Interrupted is a site-specific play that invites audiences to embrace—and interrogate—history. Inspired by Samuel Kress, the five-and-dime magnate whose buildings still stand all over the country, this one-act play weaves past and present into a layered theatrical experience.

Set in both the 1910s and today, the story follows a newly arrived Samuel Kress as he attempts to charm a cigar factory heiress...

Ybor Interrupted is a site-specific play that invites audiences to embrace—and interrogate—history. Inspired by Samuel Kress, the five-and-dime magnate whose buildings still stand all over the country, this one-act play weaves past and present into a layered theatrical experience.

Set in both the 1910s and today, the story follows a newly arrived Samuel Kress as he attempts to charm a cigar factory heiress—while rumors swirl that he’s daring to sell New York cigars in Ybor City.

You Look So Young and Sound So Old

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

In this sci-fi-tinged dramedy, a mother time-travels into the future to check in on her daughter’s well-being. Her daughter must decide how much of the truth she actually wants to tell her.

In this sci-fi-tinged dramedy, a mother time-travels into the future to check in on her daughter’s well-being. Her daughter must decide how much of the truth she actually wants to tell her.

Garbage People

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

Two millennials are forced to reckon with their withering friendship and their previous sins against the planet when a literal trash monster comes looking for a human sacrifice.

Two millennials are forced to reckon with their withering friendship and their previous sins against the planet when a literal trash monster comes looking for a human sacrifice.

David Makes His Rounds

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

Former class clown, David, bursts into his 15 year high school reunion with an agenda: to apologize for his drunken, childish, and hurtful antics of the past. With his beautiful fiancé by his side, David wins over the room...until he bumps into Margot.

Former class clown, David, bursts into his 15 year high school reunion with an agenda: to apologize for his drunken, childish, and hurtful antics of the past. With his beautiful fiancé by his side, David wins over the room...until he bumps into Margot.

A Tangled Strand

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

Noelle needs to move out of her apartment but she doesn't want to. Mike is the only one who has a chance of getting her to do it.

This play was originally written for and performed in a basement apartment in Edgewater, Chicago as part of Living Room Playmakers Moving Stories.

Noelle needs to move out of her apartment but she doesn't want to. Mike is the only one who has a chance of getting her to do it.

This play was originally written for and performed in a basement apartment in Edgewater, Chicago as part of Living Room Playmakers Moving Stories.

Always Greener

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

Terri has lived in Greenfields, an accessible community, since she was a baby. Like everyone else who lives there, she has a great job, a carefully-assigned spouse, and all of the care she needs. The quiet and predictable community is shaken, however, when Raven, an outsider, breaks into Greenfields to get the access they were lacking. Raven is like no other person that Terri has ever met. They wear colorful...

Terri has lived in Greenfields, an accessible community, since she was a baby. Like everyone else who lives there, she has a great job, a carefully-assigned spouse, and all of the care she needs. The quiet and predictable community is shaken, however, when Raven, an outsider, breaks into Greenfields to get the access they were lacking. Raven is like no other person that Terri has ever met. They wear colorful clothes, they are non-binary, and most importantly, they know what it’s like to live outside of Greenfields. Terri and Raven become friends. Terri helps convince the town and their leader, Rick, that Raven should be allowed to stay in Greenfields. Raven pushes Terri to consider her own wants in life, leading her to the realization that she wants to leave Greenfields and experience the outside world. But due to Rick’s separatists tendencies, entering and leaving Greenfields is not only really scary, it’s difficult. With help from Raven, Terri makes her escape during the annual Greenfields triathlon. Terri leaves the sheltered world of Greenfields and enters a world that is similar to the one we live in. A world that forces Terri to feel disabled. Obstacles bombard Terri, but she learns to navigate this world. She learns what freedom is, she makes new friends, and she falls in love with Alex, who is experiencing early symptoms of a chronic disability. Meanwhile inside Greenfields, Rick becomes increasingly paranoid about losing control of the community. And he should be because Raven becomes an informal leader amongst their peers, prompting them to question the values and decisions made by him. Rick finds Terri in the outside world and tells her that she is forbidden from returning to Greenfields. But Terri is no longer afraid to defy powerful leaders and make her own choices. Terri returns to Greenfields with her new friends and her lover, determined to make her community better. After a spirited protest from the Greenfields citizens, Rick is ousted from his position. The dome that covered Greenfields, separating it from the outside world, is lifted. For the first time, the citizens of Greenfields are given the freedom to decide where and how they want to live.

Always Greener is a magical musical about growing up, even once you think you’re already grown. It’s about taking chances, finding love, embracing fears, and challenging individual and collective mindsets.

Miss Major Cushman

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

She's a wife, mother, actress and a failed union spy. Tonight, Pauline Cushman takes to the stage and tells her story. But how much of it is true is anyone's guess.

She's a wife, mother, actress and a failed union spy. Tonight, Pauline Cushman takes to the stage and tells her story. But how much of it is true is anyone's guess.

Neurons and Photo Albums

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

After receiving a damning diagnosis, Mom wants Claudia to take all of her photo albums.

After receiving a damning diagnosis, Mom wants Claudia to take all of her photo albums.

Above the Ceiling

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

Dottie is just another bored housewife until a young man with a sewing machine crawls in through her window. Based on a true story, Above the Ceiling examines what happens when an emboldened power-hungry woman moves her secret lover into her attic.

Dottie is just another bored housewife until a young man with a sewing machine crawls in through her window. Based on a true story, Above the Ceiling examines what happens when an emboldened power-hungry woman moves her secret lover into her attic.

The Unlimited Year-Long Class Pack

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

A scuffle over a refund on a year long class membership to a fancy yoga studio leads to an unexpected interaction between a woman with cancer and her yoga instructor.

A scuffle over a refund on a year long class membership to a fancy yoga studio leads to an unexpected interaction between a woman with cancer and her yoga instructor.

Freedom OUT OF ORDER

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

When eleven Chicagoans discover they are anything but typical, they must navigate their own path through a world of challenges including exams, dating, and job interviews— all while using public transportation. FREEDOM out of order is a musical about the never-ending journey towards self-acceptance and the extraordinary and creative ways we can travel through life. This musical is about people with disabilities...

When eleven Chicagoans discover they are anything but typical, they must navigate their own path through a world of challenges including exams, dating, and job interviews— all while using public transportation. FREEDOM out of order is a musical about the never-ending journey towards self-acceptance and the extraordinary and creative ways we can travel through life. This musical is about people with disabilities. It is for everyone.

Insert Heart Here

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

Can a healthy heart lead to a healthy soul? Insert Heart Here is a romantic comedy trapped inside a healthcare dystopia/reality. It's about the beating heart and the way it travels, willingly and unwillingly, from person to person.

Can a healthy heart lead to a healthy soul? Insert Heart Here is a romantic comedy trapped inside a healthcare dystopia/reality. It's about the beating heart and the way it travels, willingly and unwillingly, from person to person.

Those of You Who Wait

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

Owen and Sarah spent a casual and booze-filled night together. Now, days later they are scheduled to meet again, this time in a busy tea shop. After a strange and ominous meeting with a rose-seller, Owen is reunited with his one-night stand.

Owen and Sarah spent a casual and booze-filled night together. Now, days later they are scheduled to meet again, this time in a busy tea shop. After a strange and ominous meeting with a rose-seller, Owen is reunited with his one-night stand.

Mary M.: Future Bible Babe

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

When Mary M. gets busted for soliciting sexual favors in her high school chemistry classroom, her mother sends her to live with her sister’s family in Michigan for a while. To get back home, Mary makes a drastic decision. Mary M.: Future Bible Babe reimagines the myth of Mary and pushes her into the future, focusing on her life right before she became infamous.

When Mary M. gets busted for soliciting sexual favors in her high school chemistry classroom, her mother sends her to live with her sister’s family in Michigan for a while. To get back home, Mary makes a drastic decision. Mary M.: Future Bible Babe reimagines the myth of Mary and pushes her into the future, focusing on her life right before she became infamous.

The Midyear Review

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

A very short play about auto-pilot office life, career ruts, the rhythmic monotony of corporate reviews, and risk-taking

A very short play about auto-pilot office life, career ruts, the rhythmic monotony of corporate reviews, and risk-taking

The Corpse Flower

by Erin Lekovic

Synopsis

It’s 2 am in the Missouri Botanical Gardens and it’s unseasonably warm for November. The garden’s main attraction, the rare corpse flower, is only a few hours from blooming and releasing its signature scent of death. While live-streaming cameras monitor every angle of the exotic plant, the Gardens themselves are empty… with the exception of two women.

It’s 2 am in the Missouri Botanical Gardens and it’s unseasonably warm for November. The garden’s main attraction, the rare corpse flower, is only a few hours from blooming and releasing its signature scent of death. While live-streaming cameras monitor every angle of the exotic plant, the Gardens themselves are empty… with the exception of two women.