The landscape for transgender people has changed dramatically since the release of Transamerica in 2005. While some change has been positive - greater visibility and wider acceptance have also led to more virulent pushback, putting trans people in the crosshairs of a conservative culture war.

In theatre, the term "ghostlight" refers to a light left on in an empty theatre to provide illumination when the building isn't occupied. That ghostlight was, in essence, a safety mechanism meant to prevent people from walking off the edge of the stage and into the orchestra pit below. In Ghostlight, we are introduced to an emotionally distant construction worker named Dan (Keith Kupferer), a man of few words but big feelings - feelings that he usually keeps bottled up inside only to burst forth as explosive anger when pushed to the limit.