'I needed to be better... and summat needed to change - to keep them safe. To fix my family.'

When her mother disappears, teenager Cassie wants to care for her sisters on her own. But can kids be parents? Or should Cassie let foster parents adopt her sisters and create a new family?

Alex Howarth's play Cassie and the Lights is a tender and playful examination of what makes a family and what holds it together. Based on real-life events and interviews with children in care, it celebrates the resilience of young people and the power of sisterhood.

The play has been performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, VAULT Festival in London, 59E59 in New York City and Adelaide Fringe Festival in Australia. It toured the UK in 2024, produced by Patch of Blue and 3 hearts canvas, in association with Southwark Playhouse and Verse Unbound.

'Glows in the darkness... a thoughtful, warm, moving hour that will leave you wanting to call whoever you think of as family' - Guardian

'Bursts with life and quirkily observed truths' - The Stage (2022)

'Unmissable... deals with trauma and heartbreak with humour and empathy... it may only be 70 minutes long, but it remains in your heart for far longer' - Reviews Hub

'Gut-wrenching... vivid... powerfully moving... moments of sparky Alan Bennett-esque humour' - The Stage (2024)

'Tender and heartwrenching... Profoundly moving in its bittersweet playfulness and candid approach to the subject... scrupulously crafted... sneakily devastating under a coat of perfectly calibrated humour' - Broadway World

'A complex and heartbreaking story, guaranteed to bowl you over' - Theatre Weekly

'Unique and distinctive... refreshingly accessible... Howarth's writing astounds at every opportunity... incredibly impressive... a vital piece of theatre which has an unrivaled ability to make you feel and your heart hurt' - All That Dazzles