(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage will present a benefit performance of Ami Brabson’s newest cabaret A Change is Gonna Come on Saturday, December 14th. Doors open at 6:30pm for wine and mingling. Brabson’s performance at 7:30pm will be followed by live music, dessert, drinks, and coffee.
This special event takes place during Brabson’s December 6-15 engagement on Luna’s MainStage. Benefit tickets are $75 for orchestra seating and $500 for a table for four. Tickets for other dates are $30 ($25 for Luna Season Passholders.)
In A Change Is Gonna Come, actor-singer-writer Brabson invites us on a journey through life’s transitions, big and small. The one-woman show combines storytelling, poetry, and song to reflect on the inevitable changes in our lives and the self discovery that often follows. The loss of a parent, the demolition of a house, and the discovery of political passions all inspire reflection, music, and ultimately, hope.
Brabson’s previous one-woman show, Phenomenal Women, played to critical acclaim at Luna in 2017, before touring to Manhattan’s Metropolitan Room, the Baltimore Theatre Project, and Havre de Grace Opera House.
A Change Is Gonna Come will be directed by Luna’s Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith.
A South Orange resident, Brabson most recently starred in American Son at Theaterworks Hartford, where she was described as giving a “superior, layered performance” that “outperforms Broadway.” (Journal Enquirer )
Brabson’s band features Corey Wachala on piano, Colleen Clark on drums, and Joe Bussey on bass. A Change Is Gonna Come was created in collaboration with Corinna Sowers Adler .
Performances of A Change is Gonna Come will be Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Benefit tickets are $75 for orchestra seating and $500 for a table for four. All other tickets are $30 ($25 for Luna Season Passholders), and are available at LunaStage.org or or by calling OvationTix at 866-811-4111.
About the Artists
Ami Brabson is an actor, singer and producer. Most recently she played Kendra in the critically acclaimed production of American Son at Theaterworks Hartford. Other stage credits include the New York Premiere of Tough Titty by Oni Faida Lampley and Brabson’s one-woman show Phenomenal Women. Some of her favorite regional theater roles are Linda in Curve of Departure, Faye in Dominique Morisseau's Skeleton Crew, Quilly in John Henry Redwood's The Old Settler and Rose in August Wilson's Fences. Brabson plays Vanessa on the next and final season of Power (Starz Network). Other television credits include Mary Pembleton in Homicide: Life on the Streets, Judge Karyn Blake in Law & Order SVU , Judge Tchaikovsky in Bull, Damages, The Jury, Law & Order, and various Soap Operas. Brabson is an accomplished soprano and cabaret singer who has performed at New York City venues as varied as Merkin Concert Hall, The Metropolitan Room, and Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar. She received her MFA from the NYU/Tisch Graduate School of Acting.
Ari Laura Kreith is the Artistic Director of Luna Stage, where she recently directed the World Premiere of Jenny Lyn Bader’s Mrs. Stern Wander the Prussian State Library, Gabriel Jason Dean’s Heartland, and J.Stephen Brantley’s Pirira, and conceived/co-directed the site-specific Secret Cities. She is also the founder and Artistic Director of Theatre 167, where she conceived and directed The Jackson Heights Trilogy— 167 Tongues, You Are Now The Owner Of This Suitcase, and Jackson Heights 3AM — three full-length plays collaboratively written by 18 playwrights featuring 37 actors in 93 roles in 14 languages, inspired by the world’s most diverse neighborhood. Other directing highlights include Mourning Sun, which premiered at Theatre 167 and toured to Uganda; the world premiere of Tina Howe’s Singing Beach; commissions for Queens Theatre and the New Ohio, and the European premiere of Adam Guettel’s Myths and Hymns. Kreith has developed immersive, site-specific projects for Luna Stage, Queens Museum and the NY Transit Museum. A recipient of the LPTW Lucille Lortel Visionary Award and the NYIT Caffe Cino Fellowship, Kreith received her BA from Yale and her MFA from UC Davis. Kreith grew up in 27 countries.
Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. We bring communities together for artistic events that spark conversations and create understanding and change. Firmly rooted in New Jersey's Valley Arts District—a crossroads of cultures—we celebrate the diverse voices that surround us.
Luna is committed to eliminating barriers to participation and nurturing the next generation of audiences and artists. In addition to its artistic season, the company offers classes for children and adults, and developmental programs for early-career artists.
Luna Stage has contributed to the development of over 100 new works for the stage, earning a reputation for artistic excellence. Luna’s unique approach to producing, as well as the work itself, fosters an environment of inclusivity, understanding, and infinite possibility.
