our mission
At Heighten Theatricals, we write flexible youth musicals with big heart and a professional sound. With practical staging and customizable tracks, we help directors produce standout shows with less stress.
aboutus
Jason Spraggins (book & lyrics) is a writer, lyricist, and educator whose work is rooted in creating smart, age-appropriate theatre for young performers. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Lambuth University and a Master of Arts in Education from Bethel University, with additional postgraduate coursework in Education at Austin Peay State University. He currently serves as the West Tennessee Educational Representative for Amro Music Stores, based in Memphis, supporting music programs and educators throughout the region.
Jason’s original writing for the stage includes children’s musicals co-created with composer Matt Glickstein through Heighten Theatricals, LLC, including Jo & the Gigalytes (premiered 2024) and Flight of the Mothman (2025). He also co-wrote Crawlspace: A True Crime Musical, which premiered in 2022 at Tennessee Tech University, opened the Ensemble Theatre of Chattanooga’s “Brave New Works Festival” in July 2023, and received a second full production in December 2023—evidence of his ability to craft compelling stories that connect with performers and audiences. In 2024, Jason and Matt established Heighten Theatricals, LLC, where they continue developing original, director-friendly musicals for young casts and schools.
Matt Glickstein (music) is a songwriter, composer, and educator from Lānaʻi City, Hawaiʻi, and the founder and Executive Director of the Lānaʻi Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (lanaiacademy.org). Since launching LAPA in 2013, he has built a thriving children’s theatre program that gives young performers on Lānaʻi high-quality training, mentorship, and the joy of telling stories onstage. Matt has served as music director for every LAPA musical (14), and his work centers on creating meaningful, confidence-building theatre experiences for kids and families in his community.
As a writer and composer, Matt has created original youth-focused musicals including Island Below the Star (2013), Day of Conquest: A Story of Kaululāʻau (2019), Jo & the Gigalytes (2024), and Flight of the Mothman (2025). In 2019, he was selected as one of eight American dramatic educators honored with the Freddie G Fellowship at the Musical Theater International Junior Theater Festival. In addition to his work in children’s theatre, Matt is an active songwriter with recent TV/film placements on NCIS: Hawaiʻi, The Company You Keep, and Forever (Netflix), and he also co-created Crawlspace: A True Crime Musical with lyricist and book writer Jason Spraggins (premiered 2022).