Luna Stage Presents THE MANE EVENT, Featuring SUPERNATURAL Reading Today

Luna Stage presents The Mane Event: New Year, New You, a full day of vendors and holistic health, and a staged reading of the play Supernatural celebrating natural hair journeys. We all have hair stories to tell; now we have a place to share them. Come to this full day event with vendors selling natural hair products followed by a staged reading of the play Supernatural, created by Candace Kelley, Audrey Kelley and Gilda Rogers today, January 5th at Luna Stage.

The play is a funny and insightful exploration of natural hair journeys. Women of color around the world are ridding themselves of relaxers and chemicals. The play explores the lives of six women who are forced to confront their natural God-given hair and themselves.

The play made is debut at Crossroads Theater in July to rave reviews and was chosen to be a part of the Strand Theater's Playwrights on the Riseseries. The tears and standing ovations from audiences are a testament to the breadth of emotions that women go through when it comes to their hair journeys. "The play is about beauty, about the assertion individual women can make that their hair, the way nature or God gave it to them, is in fact gorgeous," said Strand Theater's Rich Quatrone.

"We collected the rich experiences of women who have had a tug of war with their hair and won," says playwright Candace Kelley. Described by many as the Vagina Monologues - but about hair, the play has resonated with theater goers. "Running the gamut of human emotion, from humor to tragedy, the play is universal in its depiction of the human condition," said Quatrone.

Don't miss this full-day event, with vendors selling natural hair products and more from 2pm-6pm and a staged reading of Supernatural written by Candace Kelley, Audrey Kelley & Gilda Rogers at 7:30pm. Admission to the reading of Supernatural: $20/ Admission to the vendor area is free. Tickets can be purchased in person, on the phone at (973) 395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website: www.lunastage.org. More about the whole day can be found at www.maneluna.wordpress.com. Read about the play at www.supernaturalplay.wordpress.com.

Supernatural, set in none other than Brooklyn, New York in Bed-Stuy, it is the funny and insightful play about Natural Hair journeys. Women from all points of the globe are gathering by the droves to celebrate their natural hair, leaving chemicals behind and making the bold statement that their hair is just fine. The play explores the lives of six women who are forced to confront their natural hair and themselves. Filled with stories of triumph, these women are guaranteed to make you laugh and will inspire you to think about what God gave you.

About the Creators

Candace Kelley -Producer & Playwright
Candace Kelley is a five-time Emmy nominated writer and TV reporter. Over the past three years she has collected a myriad of hair stories that helped shaped the play Supernatural. A leader in her field, she has produced dozens of natural hair signature events to sold out audiences. Her book Coif Cuisine: Natural Hair Recipes and Side Dishes for the Natural Hair & Now was released in 2011 and her book The Big Chop will be released in the summer of 2012. Her online E-Zine Hair Candy has a huge fan base and she continues to teach Natural Hair workshops as founder of Curl Prep Natural Hair Solutions. A documentarian, she wrote and produced the film Missing. The piece sheds light on what happens when children grow up without a father. She is also the co-writer and producer of the film Kosher about an Orthodox Jewish man who became a Pentecostal pastor of an African-American church in Manalapan, NJ.

Audrey Kelley -Director & Playwright
Audrey Kelley studied sketch comedy writing at Second City in Los Angeles and stand-up comedy with Judy Carter. She was selected for an Internship in Writing and Development with Tri Destined Studios in Los Angeles working closely with Gregory Anderson and ND Brown. Original written works include: I'd Never Say This in Public (one-woman show), Little Dates (a webisode in collaboration with Asia Winston) and several sketch comedy skits and stand-up comedy pieces. She wrote, produced and directed Audrey & Dre, a webisode starring Zuri Alexander and Andrew Chen which was recently picked up for distribution. Audrey resides in Los Angeles.

Gilda Rogers -Playwright & Producer
Gilda Rogers is an award-winning producer, journalist and historian who often speaks about the topic of hair history. She is the executive producer of the popular weekly television show Frank Talk that airs on Brookdale Television on Comcast and Verizon FIOS Cable stations. In that role, Gilda has showcased an array of stories that inspire, inform and entertain. A documentarian, she wrote and produced A Man and His Music chronicling the life of Ralph Gatta, a Red Bank, N.J. native and jazz historian, known as "Johnny Jazz." She is also part of the creative team for the documentary Kosher. Gilda's work has appeared on AOL Black Voices and the PBS affiliate.

Luna Stage was founded in 1992 by Jane Mandel, Artistic Director, and became an Equity Theater in 1995. For 18 years, the company made its home in Montclair, New Jersey, first in a small space on Walnut Street and then moving into a larger facility on Bloomfield Avenue. In the fall of 2010, Luna Stage moved to West Orange and opened its inaugural season at our new home at 555 Valley Road, right in the heart of the Valley Arts District.

Luna Stage has always believEd Strongly in the power of the arts to bring vitality and enrichment to communities. The company is very proud and excited to be part of a dynamic movement of revitalization and community engagement. Our brand new theatre is easily accessible by car or rail from all points in New Jersey and NYC. The facility features a 99-seat black box theatre, a 40-seat Studio Theatre, a rehearsal studio, art gallery and administrative offices, and has been specially designed to meet the needs of Luna Stage and its audiences.

Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052. 973-395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available.

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