The Light Bringer
One of the shows included in the inaugural Fringe Fort Myers is The Light Bringer, a true-life storytelling show written and performed by Laila Lee. In this one-woman show, Laila brings to light her experiences growing up Muslim in the American South, how she discovered her own place in the world, and the sacrifices she’s called upon to make in order to fit into American culture.
Lee has a B.A. in Thatre and B.S. in Biology from the University of South Florida. She’d planned on using her B.S. to pursue a medical degree, but self-corrected and went to work instead with numerous professional theatre companies in the Tampa Bay area, including Hat Trick, Jobsite, Ghostlight, Gorilla, and Eckerd Theatre Company. A natural 
storyteller, she won “Most Courageous” at Shameless Stories in Tampa.
The Light Bringer has already garnered several awards, including the Tech Choice Award at the 2022 Tampa International Fringe Festival, Best of Fest at 2020 Tampa International Fringe Digital and the Jenny Award for Telling Like it Is at the 2019 Winnipeg 
Fringe Theatre Festival. The Winnipeg Free Press calls the show “devastating and satisfying,” the University of Manitoba called The Light Bringer “a rich tale well told,” and Jenny Revue says that “Laila Lee produces with spades.”
Local audiences will have three opportunities to see Laila Lee in The Light Bringer. Shows are in the Classroom Theatre at the Alliance for the Arts at:
- 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 1;
5:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 3; and- 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 4.
May 21, 2023.
About the Author
Tom Hall is both an amateur artist and aspiring novelist who writes art quest thrillers. He is in the final stages of completing his debut novel titled "Art Detective," a story that fictionalizes the discovery of the fabled billion-dollar Impressionist collection of Parisian art dealer Josse Bernheim-Jeune, thought by many to have perished during World War II when the collection's hiding place, Castle de Rastignac in southern France, was destroyed by the Wehrmacht in reprisal for attacks made by members of the Resistance operating in the area. A former tax attorney, Tom holds a bachelor's degree as well as both a juris doctorate and masters of laws in taxation from the University of Florida. Tom lives in Estero, Florida with his fiancee, Connie, and their four cats.