Johanna Thydell’s novel In the Ceiling the Stars Are Shining, written just over twenty years ago, remains deeply relevant today. Jenna, the story’s main character, is navigating adolescence—a fragile and often turbulent time of growth and self-discovery. But for her, this journey is made even more difficult by her mother’s illness. Still, this is not merely a story about sickness.

It is a story about love, growing up, friendship, first love, and the shifting roles of being a daughter—and a mother—at different stages of life. We created this play through laughter and tears, with care, compassion, and a heartfelt desire to speak both to young people Jenna’s age and to those a little older—inviting them to remember their own youth and the shared human challenges of finding our way through life.