Luna Stage Revisits 'The Man in Room 306'

 Luna Stage, one of New Jersey's premiere theatres, revisits The Man in Room 306, written and performed by Craig Alan Edwards.  The play had its world premiere at Luna in 1995 and was met with stunning reviews. Scheduled to open April 3, on the eve of the fortieth anniversary of Dr. King's death, the production will run through May 4, 2008.  Luna Stage is delighted to have the support of The National Civil Rights Museum for this production. The museum is housed in Memphis' historic Lorraine Motel, the site of Dr. King's assassination.

In keeping with Luna Stage's 15th Anniversary theme to explore our nation's identity, past and present, Artistic Direc tor Jane Mandel feels that "Dr. King's message of hope and determination is perhaps even more profound now and continues to resonate among us all." Playwright and actor Edwards will star in this one-man tour de force that finds King alone in his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee on April 3rd, the night he gave his final and most prophetic speech, and the evening before his untimely assassination. Shown is a side of the revered civil rights leader rarely seen by the public - a man rather than an icon, a man struggling with personal doubts and limitations, and the changing tide of politics and the civil rights movement. Mr. Edwards is joined by his creative partner Director Cheryl Katz whose direction of the initial production was called "inspired."  Since its debut at Luna in 1995, Edwards has toured the country from theatres to universities.
 
A native of Philadelphia, Craig Alan Edwards is an accomplished actor/writer and one of the nation's leading portrayers of Dr. King. After working as a marketing executive for IBM, Mr. Edwards was compelled to pursue a career in film, TV, theatre and writing. Since then, he has performed in a variety of stage productions, movies, television shows and corporate films, and has worked with personalities such as Sean Penn, Woody Allen, Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee, and William H. Macy. Mr. Edwards graduated with honors from Boston University and currently acts, writes and resides in New York City.
 
Cheryl Katz is in her fifth season as Director of Play Development at Luna Stage. She has developed and directed over thirty new plays in the New York area including "The Man in Room 306" by Craig Alan Edwards, "In a Person is a City" by Amy Guggenheim and "The Fastest Woman Alive" by Karen Sunde at Luna Stage. She has worked as a producer, administrator and special projects manager for LaMaMa E.T.C., Under One Roof, Electronic Arts Intermix, Arts International and The School of Hard Knocks, and has worked in script development for The Young Playwrights Festival, The O'Neill Theatre Conference and The Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey. She is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
 
The design team includes set designer Charlie Corcoran, lighting designer Jill Nagle, sound designer Andy Cohen, with costumes provided by Bermini of New York. Paul Whelihan is the production stage manager.
 
Performances of The Man in Room 306 are Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm and Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm.  Ticket prices range from $20 to $30 with discounts available for seniors and students. Luna Stage is located at 695 Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey. For further information call the box office at 973-744-3309 or visit www.lunastage.org.  Luna Stage is wheelchair accessible, and offers assistive listening devices and pre-show tours for the sight impaired, which are available upon request.

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