Luna Stage 2018-19 Mainstage Season Announced

Luna Stage recently announced its 2018-2019 Mainstage season, featuring four new plays: one world premiere and three regional premieres. The plays are set in locations around the world, each exploring the question of how we come together across cultural and social divides. Luna's season begins October 4 and runs through April 28, and the plays will be Pirira by J. Stephen Brantley, The Assignment by Camilo Almonacid, Roan @ the Gates by Christina Gorman, and Heartland by Gabriel Jason Dean. All performances will take place in Luna's Mainstage theater, at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ. Season Passes are now on sale, and special discounts are available.

Incoming Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith, formerly of Theatre 167 in New York, aimed for a season where each play reflects multiple cultures, communities, and perspectives. "Within that framework," says Kreith, "we navigate questions ranging from international aid to gender politics, from Internet privacy to love across linguistic divides, from violence to forgiveness, and from fear to hope." The season aims to bring audiences together as a community, to build a deeper and more optimistic understanding of the world. "Filled with humor, heart, and imagination," continues Kreith, "these plays invite audiences halfway across the globe and bring them home again." Luna Stage's New Moon Reading Series and other workshops and events will be announced in the fall.

Season Passes are on sale now through Luna's online box office, at LunaStage.org/season-passes.php, or by calling 973-395-5551. Season Passes offer discounts off the single ticket price for all four plays in the Mainstage series, yet they are flexible. Passholders may select the performances they would like to attend at any time before that performance, rather than committing to dates at the time of purchase as with more traditional subscription plans. Luna's Regular Season Pass, good for any performance except Opening Nights, will be $133 (15% off). Starting this year, Luna is offering a New Subscriber Pass, which works just like the Regular Season Pass and is available through June 21 for $125 (20% off). The Thursday/Previews Pass, for $93 (20% off), is good for Preview and Thursday performances. Luna Stage offers its deepest discount for young theater-goers with its Under 30 Pass, for $62 (60% off). Luna aims to create lifelong fans with the Under 30 Pass by making performances highly accessible. In addition to package pricing, Season Passholders receive several unique perks, including exclusive events with Luna artistic staff, advance notice and presale opportunities for special events, one companion ticket per Pass (some restrictions apply), and discounts to area restaurants and shops (see list at LunaStage.org/season-passes.php).

About the Plays

The season opens with Pirira by J. Stephen Brantley, which Kreith developed and premiered at Theatre 167 and brings to New Jersey for the first time October 4-28. This award-winning play is set simultaneously in Malawi and Manhattan and explores how we bridge seemingly impossible cultural divides. Two overlapping worlds coincide-a struggling African NGO and a thriving American florist shop-in this exploration of international aid across interpersonal borders.

Pirira is followed by The Assignment by Camilo Almonacid from November 29-December 16. A college re-entry student and his English professor form a bond, only to discover that they were once on opposite sides of a similar violent act. Inspired by true events, The Assignment puts a personal spin on the timely issue of gun violence.

The world premiere of Roan @ the Gates by Christina Gorman will run January 31-February 24. Against a backdrop of Cambridge Analytica and fake news, Roan @ the Gates is a fictional investigation into cyber-security, inspired by the shadowy figure of Edward Snowden's girlfriend. When Roan takes a stand for her principles, dragging her wife into the controversy, she launches a high-stakes adventure that illuminates the cost of secrecy.

Heartland by Gabriel Jason Dean rounds out Luna's season, running from April 4-28. A Nebraska college professor, his adopted daughter, and a mysterious Afghani mathematician intersect in this extraordinary new play. Set in both Maidan Shar and Omaha, Heartland is a multilingual celebration of literature, loss, language, and love.

About Luna Stage

Luna Stage develops and produces thought-provoking theatre that gives voice to emerging American Playwrights and new life to contemporary and classic plays that speak to our times. Committed to creating vibrant, inclusive, and catalytic experiences onstage, in our classes, and in the communities we serve, Luna collaborates with artists from diverse disciplines, backgrounds, and aesthetics to explore the myriad perspectives of our society.

Luna Stage was founded in 1992, and was based in Montclair, NJ for its first 18 years. In 2010, Luna relocated to West Orange, NJ to become an anchor organization for revitalization and community engagement in the emerging Valley Arts District. Luna's classes for children and adults, and its developmental programs for early career artists, inspire community members to nurture their own creativity and vision.

Luna Stage has contributed to the development of over 80 new works for the stage, earning a reputation for artistic excellence. Some of those plays have gone on to productions in New York City and beyond. Luna's unique approach to producing, as well as the work itself, fosters an environment of inclusivity, understanding, and infinite possibility.

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