The Light Bringer

Laila Lee brings her true-life storytelling show, The Light Bringer, to the New Tampa Performing Arts Center on Friday, November 20. It's a one-woman show that Lee both wrote and performs, and it's built around her own life as a Palestinian immigrant.

At its core, the show is about her family discovering a new and unexpected sense of freedom in the United States. From there, she shares what it was like growing up Muslim in the American South, how she finds her place in the world, and the personal sacrifices she's had to make along the way. It's the kind of storytelling that starts with a specific family history and opens up into something broader—the feeling of trying to fit in when you're coming from two different worlds at once.

Lee is the only one on stage, so the whole thing rests on her voice and her stories. If you've ever spent time in the South and wondered how it feels to be the only person in the room who looks or believes the way you do, that's exactly the kind of ground she covers. It's a personal account of growing up and figuring out where you belong, told by the person who lived it.

The show runs from 8 PM to 10 PM, about two hours long, at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, 8550 Hunters Village Road, Tampa, Florida 33647. Tickets are $15 to $20 depending on where you sit, and select tickets are available for $10 through the venue's Affordable Art commitment.