Island City Stage Will Present LIGHT SWITCH Florida Premiere
Dave Osmundsen's comedy follows Henry Sullivan, a gay, autistic man navigating modern dating in Fort Lauderdale.
Island City Stage will present the Florida premiere of Light Switch by Dave Osmundsen. Tickets are on sale now for the play running May 21 – June 14.
Meet Henry Sullivan - 27, gay, Autistic, and completely enchanted by the sweeping romance of 19th-century British novels. He's read Wuthering Heights 67 times; dreamed every scene… but nothing in those pages prepared him for the complexities of modern dating. Join Henry on his journey through love, heartbreak, identity, and acceptance - navigating a world that doesn't always understand him and learning to write his own kind of love story.
"A couple of years ago, Richard Milstein, a patron of ours, emailed me to say he had seen this terrific play in Chicago and he thought it would be perfect for Island City Stage, said Andy Rogow, artistic director of Island City Stage. “He told Dave Osmundsen, the playwright, to get in touch with me, which he did. That play was Light Switch and as soon as I read it, I agreed that we had to produce it. The exploration of a young, autistic gay man's quest to find love in a world that isn't as romantic as the Victorian-era novels he is obsessed with is so heartfelt and engaging. I'm always looking for new and original stories that highlight the vast diversity of our LGBTQ+ community and this play fit the bill perfectly."
This poignant coming-of-age story thoughtfully portrays one remarkable young man's journey to find anything -- or anyone -- that lights up his heart the way 19th century romantic literature does. When Henry ultimately meets a potential match in Joseph, he wonders if Joseph will be the one to “flip the switch.” Funny, moving, and profoundly relatable, Light Switch captures the power of imagination, the longing for connection, and the courage it takes to be truly seen.
Autistic playwright Dave Osmundsen's work explores the intersections of queerness and neurodiversity. Light Switch received its world premiere with Spectrum Theatre Ensemble in April 2022. Light Switch was also the 2021 Distinguished Achievement recipient of the Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award, an Honorable Mention finalist for BAPF 2021, longlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award, a finalist for the 2020 Carlo Annoni Playwriting Prize, and a semi-finalist for the 2020 National Playwrights Conference. Osmundsen's work has been seen and developed at KCACTF Region 8, the Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA Playwrights Workshop, B Street Theatre, the William Inge Theatre Festival, the Midwest Dramatists Conference, Phoenix Theatre Company, Clamour Theatre Company, Premiere Stages, and more. He was one of two recipients of the Blank Theatre and Ucross Foundation's inaugural Future of Playwriting Prize. His one-act, A Firework Unexploded, was a semi-finalist for the NYC Audio Theatre Writing Contest and was produced by Pint-Sized in London. His plays have been published by or are forthcoming in The Dionysian, Canyon Voices, Exposition Review and Broadway Play Publishing. MFA: Arizona State University.
Island City Stage's production of Light Switch is directed by theater veteran Michael Leeds and stars Gage Callenius as Ezra, Eric Gospodinoff as Joseph, Larry Toyter as Roggie, Irene Adjan as Marian, and Luis Roberto Herrera as Aaron/Ken/Another Guy.
Gage Callenius (Henry) is a South Florida-based actor and a Silver Palm Award Winner for his performance for The Last Yiddish Speaker by Deb Zoe Laufer at FAU Theatre Lab. Other credits include City Theatre's Short Cuts and Summer Reads tours.
Eric Gospodinoff (Joseph) is an Argentinian-born, Miami-raised actor making his Island City Stage debut. His credits include Lloyd in Mud (LatinéTheatre Lab); Short Cuts (City Theatre), The Misadventures of Pinocchio, Scrooge! A Fractured Christmas Carol (Fantasy Theatre Factory), The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Sweat, Cyrano de Bergerac, Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow Moscow and A Bright Room Called Day (New World School of the Arts).
Also thrilled to be making his Island City Stage debut is Larry Toyter (Roggie). His credits include Milk and Honey (Adi, J2 Spotlight at AMT Theater – Off-Broadway), The Inheritance (Zoetic Stage), Dames at Sea (Florida Studio Theatre), Frozen (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), 42nd Street (Maltz Jupiter Theatre), The Wizard of Oz (Riverside Center), Elf (Matthews, North Carolina Theatre), A Chorus Line (Lauderhill PAC), and I Love a Piano (Wick Theatre).
Three-time Carbonell Award winner Irene Adjan (Marian) returns to Island City Stage where she was last seen in Tracy Jones. Most recently she was in Merrily We Roll Along (Zoetic Stage), Birthright and Lincoln Road Hustle (Miami New Drama), and performed as “Vivian Vance” in the one-person play Sidekicked (Boca Stage). Her extensive work in South Florida includes performances at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Theatre Lab, Slow Burn Theatre, The Wick, Actors' Playhouse, GableStage and City Theatre.
Luis Roberto Herrera (Aaron/Ken/Another Guy) is a Colombian American playwright based in South Florida. His plays include Poolside Glow, All The Women I Love Have Died (2024 National Playwrights Conference semifinalist), and At The End of The Hall (2025 semifinalist). His solo show, As I Eat the World, premiered at The Tank in New York City, toured Fringe festivals, and debuted internationally in Mexico City. Herrera is currently an adjunct faculty member at North Broward Preparatory School.
Light Switch co-producers are Funding Arts Broward & Mark Loeser and the Opening Doors Charitable Trust; Lights and Sound Sponsor is Scott Bennett; Talent Sponsors are Jim Morgan & Joe Rodonis; Costume Sponsors is Richard Meyerson; and Set Sponsor is Glenn Goldberg. Additional funding is provided by the following: The Our Fund Foundation, The Schubert Foundation Inc., the SHS Foundation, the Warten Foundation, and OutClique.
From twisted tales to touching human stories, Island City Stage invites you to expect the unexpected. Closing out its 14th Season of bold productions, each delivering unexpected twists, inventive storytelling, and unforgettable theatrical moments, is Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector from August 20 – September 20.
Individual show tickets start at $45. A Mimosa Sunday performance sponsored by Misty Daniels will take place on May 31. The show runs for one hour and 50 minutes with an intermission.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.islandcitystage.org, call (954) 928-9800 or email boxoffice@islandcitystage.org.
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