Amie Enriquez's LIGHTWEIGHT to Debut Off-Broadway at SoHo Playhouse in August
The solo play tells the heart-felt true story of creator Amie Enriquez’s year-long stay in a 28-day addiction treatment facility as an attempt to recover from anorexia.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jun. 14, 2023
Direct from its sold-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the dark comedy Lightweight, will debut Off-Broadway this summer, opening July 23rd through August 26th, 2023 at SoHo Playhouse. Lightweight is created, written and performed by Amie Enriquez and directed by Lauren Weedman.
Following a full sold-out run at the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the famed Underbelly venue (the same venue that hosted the stage debut of Fleabag and Six: The Musical), the critically acclaimed, award-winning, solo play tells the heart-felt true story of creator Amie Enriquez’s year-long stay in a 28-day addiction treatment facility as an attempt to recover from anorexia.
Told from the perspective of several characters including Amie’s family, fellow patients, the ghost of a deceased music icon and one very large, flirty cupcake puppet, Lightweight is a brutally honest, mostly hilarious journey through eating disorder and addiction recovery.
“Lightweight was born from a deep desire to share my unique journey by using humor,” says creator, writer & performer Amie Enriquez. “I’m truly one of the lucky ones and it has been so gratifying to have audiences respond to this Flea Bag meets Girl Interrupted play with huge laughs, hugs and tears,” she says. “I’m beyond thrilled to bring Lightweight Off-Broadway this summer.”
Says Director Lauren Weedman, “By telling her story with humor, heart and honesty, Amie gives audiences permission to laugh at the difficult, the uncomfortable, and the unknown, and to believe that happy endings can actually exist.” She adds, ”This remarkable play sheds a light and lifts the stigma on this common yet greatly misunderstood disease. There has never been a better time to be inspired to have conversations about this topic. Lightweight is a safe space to laugh, cry, and hope.”
Tickets for Lightweight start at $45 and can be purchased online at Boxoffice@sohoplayhouse.com.
SoHo Playhouse is located at 15 Vandam Street, New York, NY 10013. 212.691.1555.
Amie Enriquez
Creator / Writer / Performer
Amie Enriquez is an award-winning playwright and actress. She is a graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City as well as the Second City and Groundlings training programs in Los Angeles. She also fulfilled a lifelong dream by training as a puppeteer at The Jim Henson Company. Amie developed the stage play of Lightweight in 2019 and it immediately played to sold out houses and rave reviews. The show went off-Broadway as part of the United Solo Festival and took home the “Best Festival Debut” award. In August 2022, Lightweight had a full run with Underbelly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and had further critical success. Her hope is that her story reaches audiences of all ages and identities who struggle with food, addiction, and body image. She also wants to shed light for those who aren’t familiar with those struggles. Most importantly, Amie wants to give the world permission to laugh at the difficult, the uncomfortable, and the unseen.
Lauren Weedman – Director
Director Lauren Weedman (HBO's Hacks, ABC's Abbott Elementary) is an award-winning actress, playwright and author. Her first show, Homecoming, began as a 15-minute performance art piece at Seattle's On the Boards and went on to go off-Broadway in NYC. Bust, about her work in the LA county jail was awarded a MacDowell fellowship for playwriting by the Alpert Awards as well as several 'best of the arts' across the nation. She has written and performed 9 solo plays. She has numerous film and television credits including HBO’s Hacks, Euphoria, and Looking. Weedman's first book, A Woman Trapped in a Woman's Body: (Tales from a Life of Cringe), is a collection of comedic essays and was named by Kirkus Review as a top ten Indie book for 2007. Lauren is also the host of the popular Moth Storytelling series in LA.
Photo credit: Mandee Johnson
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