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An actor on stage, alone.

It’s scary. Acting is generally a team effort, with fellow cast members having each other’s back. Alone, there’s no one to feed off of, no one to help when you forget a line. The whole play is on the solo actor’s back. (OK, directors and behind-the-curtain folks have a lot to do with the production, but once the curtain goes up, it all depends on the actor.)

This daunting task is one that two of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s more solid actors are willing to take on:

David Alexander Johnston stars in “The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey� at Invisible Theatre; at Live Theatre Workshop, Steve Wood tackles “Every Brilliant Thing.�

Here’s what you can expect:

‘Every Brilliant Thing’

Duncan Macmillan wrote this stirring piece. It explores one man’s life which was shadowed by the specter of suicide.

It is funny, thoughtful, powerful.

Our narrator (Wood) tells of growing up with a suicidal mother. As a boy, he composes a list for her containing “every brilliant thing,� hoping she discovers that life is worth living. Ice cream is on that list. So is “Star Trek.� And stripes.

As he grows, so does the list. It guides him through his mother’s multiple suicide attempts, his going off to college and his falling in love.

And while this is a solo show, the audience plays parts too. Scraps of paper will be handed out to some audience members before the show, and when the number on the scrap is called out, you are on.

Don’t roll your eyes. No one is made to feel foolish (at least that was true in the New York production, and in the HBO special of the play) and it deepens the sense of community in the theater.

Sabian Trout directs, and she is sublime at putting together plays packed with punch and devoid of sentimentality.

“Every Brilliant Thing� previews at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 30 and 31, and opens at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1 at Live Theatre Workshop, 5317 E. Speedway. It continues through Oct. 6. Previews and Thursday night performances are $15, other performances are $20. The show runs 60 minutes. For more information, call 327-4242 or visit .

‘The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey’

While Johnston is alone on the stage, his character is not — he quickly transforms into plenty more.

James Lecesne wrote this play about the murder of a 14-year-old boy.

The key narrator is a Jersey detective recalling events from a decade before, when a woman came in to report her nephew, Leonard, missing.

Leonard is gay, and while that may not sit well with some townsfolk, those who know him embrace and love him. The detective takes us through the steps of solving the crime, and in the process we meet quirky characters who celebrate Leonard for his uniqueness. That uniqueness is what ultimately led to his death.

It may not sound like it, but this is not a downer.

“A show about the brutal murder of a 14-year-old boy should not, logically speaking, leave you beaming with joy,� said The New York Times in a review of the 2015 production. “And yet that’s the paradoxical effect of ‘The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey.’�

Lecesne has woven heart and humor into a play that easily finds joy in our differences. He gives us some things to think about as well.

Susan Claassen, who knows a thing or two about solo shows, directs.

“The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey� previews at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4 and opens 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5 at Invisible Theatre, 1400 N. First Ave. It continues through Sept. 16. Preview tickets are $20, regular performances $35. The show lasts 75 minutes and is appropriate for ages 13 and up. For more information, call 882-9721 or visit .