World Premiere of Emily Joy Weiner's SHARED SENTENCES to be Presented at Houses on the Moon Theater Company in October

Houses on the Moon Theater Company will present the world premiere of Emily Joy Weiner's SHARED SENTENCES directed by Lisa Rothe with additional material by Barbara Allan, Kevin Barron, Zudaydah Rivera, and Tanasha Gordon.

Performances begin October 26 in advance of its October 30 opening; it will run through November 12 at 122CC , 2nd Floor Theater, 150 First Avenue at East 9th Street, NYC 10009.

In a continued effort to keep theatre affordable, Houses on the Moon will offer the first 25 tickets of each performance of Shared Sentences for only $25 (the remaining tickets are $35 each). They will also offer a $55 buy-one-give-one ticket tier; this option supports their ticket subsidy program, which provides free or low-cost tickets to non-traditional audiences and accounts for nearly one-third of all ticket sales. Tickets are available at HousesOnTheMoon.org.

SHARED SENTENCES explores the toll of incarceration on families and loved ones. The story follows Olivia, a lonely aspiring artist, who finds herself in a United Prison Families meeting, a support group for those with an incarcerated loved one. The piece explores how we define "family" and the struggle between the warmth and comfort of community and the cold depths of utter isolation.

The cast includes Nikomeh Anderson (NY: The Civility of Albert Cashier), Glynis Bell (Broadway: The Ferryman, Angels in America), Yadira Correa (Recent TV: "New Amsterdam"), Raphael Nash Thompson (Regional: Much Ado About Nothing), David Anzuelo (Netflix's A New York Christmas Wedding) and Emily Joy Weiner (NY: Othello).
The creative team includes Tanya Orellana (Scenic Design), Theresa Squire (Costume Design), Amina Alexander (Lighting Design), and Lindsay Jones (Original Music and Sound Design).

"I have always respected Houses on the Moon's ability to tell stories that are impactful and resonate with audiences and are good theater. Shared Sentences is a timely story dealing with issues facing many families and we have assembled a wonderful team of artists, on stage and off, to tell it. I cannot wait for audiences to experience this show."

Houses on the Moon Board Chair, Jane Dubin.

"There are more than 2 million people incarcerated in our country, which means there are millions of others who love them, whether they be parents, children, siblings or spouses. As a society, we hear very little about their experiences navigating our complicated criminal justice system and the isolation, stigma, and challenges they live with. After my own harrowing journey of having an incarcerated loved one, coming together with others who have shared this path brought me unexpected joy. This was my inspiration for writing this play. These are stories that need to be told." Playwright/ Houses on the Moon Artistic Director Emily Joy Weiner

SHARED SENTENCES began in 2018 with interviews of people with incarcerated loved ones: parents, siblings, partners, and friends who wanted to share their stories. Following the initial interviews, Houses on the Moon facilitated an 8-week storytelling workshop series with a select group of individuals, including an 84-year-old former elementary school teacher whose mentally ill husband murdered his father 50 years ago; a 25-year-old transgender man whose parents have both been incarcerated throughout his life; and a 40-year-old daughter whose father has been serving a life sentence since she was three years old. Working with the play's artistic team, Weiner has adapted stories and experiences from this group into an original play premiering in New York this October.

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