"Sammy finds the smell of cigarettes and whiskey comforting, the legacy of a father with a failing farm and a mother who never leaves home. He’s the protector of his little sister, quarterback of his high school, and the boyfriend of the hottest girl in the senior class. He also has dreams about being pulled from his bed by cloud-like beings with sandpaper skin. Aided by his therapist and an old teddy bear, he learns that his tormentors aren’t the biggest danger to the people he loves. He is."

The Lights In the Sky began as a stage play for my degree work at New York University. Over time, Sammy’s story came back to me again and again. I wanted to explore his town, his relationships, and his psyche more. There were deeper discussions I wanted to have about adolescence, existentialism, and genetic addiction. Through this process, the story of Sammy Gorman and his family became more realized look at growing up in the American Midwest.