Stoneham Theatre to Present LUNA GALE

Stoneham Theatre continues Season 16 with the Boston area premiere of Rebecca Gilman's gripping new drama Luna Gale. Performances run from October 22 - November 8, 2015. Press Opening is Saturday, October 24, 2015 at 3:00pm. Directed by Rebecca Bradshaw, Luna Gale stars Paula Plum* as Caroline, a veteran social worker, caught in a family conflict with potentially life-altering consequences. Caroline thinks she has a typical case on her hands when she meets Peter and Karlie, two teenage drug addicts accused of neglecting their baby, Luna Gale. But when she places Luna in the care of Karlie's mother, Caroline sparks a family conflict that exposes a shadowy, secretive past.

Over the past two decades, Gilman has become known for her unflinching works about contentious social issues: race in Spinning Into Butter; violence against women in Boy Gets Girl; and class in Blue Surge. "When I read the play, I immediately noticed the remarkable parallels between the play and the recent (and ongoing) issues in Massachusetts with the Department of Children & Families, mistrust of the church, and the heroin epidemic. If you replaced meth with heroin, this play could have easily been set in any of our communities today," shared Producing Artistic Director Weylin Symes.

Director Rebecca Bradshaw was similarly drawn to Luna Gale. "When have you seen a social worker in a lead role on stage? This is one of the hardest and most thankless jobs in America. They are dealt Shakespearean tragedy every day. With rules and regulations restricting their gut human reaction to the lives being placed in front of them, I cannot imagine the toll that would take on their emotional and personal lives. This play is like watching a 'good' cop make a 'bad' cop decision. Each character believes they are doing what they hope is right for this child but not working together to see it from the other's perspective."

Most notably, Symes says, "The play is an absolute page-turner. I guarantee our audiences will be on the edge of their seats waiting to see what happens next. I know I was. Without giving anything away, I was also pleased that the play ends on a note of optimism."

Stoneham Theatre's production of Luna Gale will offer informative and powerful Post-Show Talkbacks after every Thursday and Sunday performance. The talkbacks are sponsored by Lahey Health. "Luna Gale is an intense piece of theatre that deals with deeply personal issues for many families in our region. Because of this, we want to give our audiences the opportunity to respond to what they have seen and to talk about it further with their neighbors and with professionals in the region who are specifically dealing with the issues addressed in the play," says Symes.

Stoneham Theatre is proud to announce that Luna Gale has received the Standing O designation by the StageSource Gender Parity Task Force in recognition of a production that features at least 50% female theatre artists. "We have chosen to put a particular focus on gender parity and diversity this season for the simple reason that it is far past time we made the people on our stages and behind the scenes better reflect society at large. And this will only happen if Theatres like us make a concerted effort to do so," says Symes.

Cast: Paula Plum* (Caroline), Stacy Fischer* (Cindy), Jacob Oommen Athyal (Cliff), Ally Dawson (Lourdes), Maria DeCotis (Karlie), Luke Murtha (Peter), and Bob Mussett (Pastor Jay).

Tickets: $45-50 Adults; $40-45 Seniors; $20 Students (with a valid ID). "Thrifty Thursday" tickets cost $15 at the door and are available for the Thursday, October 22, 2015 performance at 7:30pm. Student Rush Tickets start one hour prior to each performance, and 2 Student tickets may be purchased for the price of one (subject to availability). For more information or to purchase tickets, call Stoneham Theatre's Box Office at (781) 279-2200, or visit www.stonehamtheatre.org.

*Denotes member of Actors' Equity Association

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