EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL HAPPENS AT NIGHT Extends at Island City Stage
Island City stage will hold a special “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book?!” panel discussion on April 18 at 4 p.m.
Island City Stage’s East Coast premiere of Everything Beautiful Happens at Night, a new play written by Ted Malawer (Red, White, & Royal Blue), and directed by Bruce Linser, has extended through May 3, 2026.
Ezra is a closeted children’s book author. Nancy is his fiercely loyal editor. Their creative partnership has shaped stories that delight generations. But when writer’s block pushes Ezra far past deadlines to deliver his latest book, a new voice enters the conversation and begins to change Ezra’s life, inspiring a controversial ending to Chipmunk and Squirrel, and testing the limits of his friendship with Nancy.
The show features an esteemed and talented cast including Carbonell award-nominated Christopher Dreeson as Ezra, multi-Carbonell and Silver Palm award-winner Laura Turnbull as Nancy, and rising star Aidan Paul as Jake. The thoughtful, charming illustrations that serve as the play’s backdrop were created by Bong Redila, an award-winning Filipino American illustrator and author based in Miami.
As a former literary agent for children’s book authors, then as an editor of children’s books, and ultimately as a children’s book author and novelist, himself, Ted Malawer has spun a tale close to home. Everything Beautiful Happens at Night was partially inspired by his childhood LGBTQ author heroes Maurice Sendak (“Where the Wild Things Are”) and Arnold Lobel (“Frog and Toad” books). The play held its world premiere at Capital Stage in Sacramento, California, in early 2025 and its second U.S. staging brings it to the award-winning Island City Stage in Wilton Manors, Florida.
Inspired by the play, Island City stage will hold a special “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Book?!” panel discussion on April 18 at 4 p.m. (following the 2 p.m. matinee performance). Emmy Award-winning journalist and theatermaker Ariel Cipolla will lead a timely and thought-provoking discussion exploring the vital role of LGBTQ+ storytelling in children’s literature. Through personal insights and candid dialogue with acclaimed author Rob Sanders, director of KidLit for the Seymour Agency Joyce Sweeney, and children’s picture book author and editor Matt Tesoriero, theatre-goers will learn about the growing wave of book bans and the cultural debate shaping today’s literary landscape and consider who gets to tell stories, why they matter, and what’s at stake for the next generation. The discussion is free to attend.
A special Women’s Night at the Theatre sponsored by Barbara Signer and Fran Epstein will take place on April 24. The show runs for one hour and 40 minutes with no intermission.
Everything Beautiful Happens at Night co-producers are Russell Vance, Michael Mullins and Terry Gaw; Lights and Sound Sponsor is Scott Bennett; Talent Sponsors are Paul Rolli & Bennett Quade and Robert Lee; Costume Sponsors are Rita Cassady and John Colemen; Set Sponsors are Margie & Trevor Fried; and Illustrations Sponsor is DC Allen & Ken Flick No Gay Hate Fund at Our Fund. Additional funding is provided by the following: The Our Fund Foundation, The Schubert Foundation Inc., the SHS Foundation, the Warten Foundation, and OutClique.
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