(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage has been awarded a $50,000 grant from The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation to support the company’s ongoing work in 2020-2021. While the theatre building remains closed due to COVID-19, Luna Stage continues to produce a wide range of virtual programs, supporting both local and national audiences in being creative, connected and inspired.
Luna’s upcoming performances include The Voting Writes Project, for which the company received a National Endowment for the Arts grant last month. This multi-writer collaboration will explore suffrage, voter suppression, apathy and activation in advance of the November 2020 election. Also planned for this season is a continuation of Luna’s American Voices Series, showcasing original solo performances reflecting on local and national identity to be shown on virtual and in person platforms. The company has embarked on a year-long collaboration with Ping Chong + Company to create an original play inspired by stories and the history of Orange, NJ.
In addition, Luna has launched a wide variety of virtual classes and camps for both youth and adults. All programs are offered on a pay-what-you-wish basis to ensure these opportunities are accessible to all. Youth programs include filmmaking, improv, acting for the camera, podcasting, screenwriting, scene study, playwriting and stage combat, all conducted over Zoom. Classes for adults include 10-Minute Playwriting and the Voices Across America Solo Show Creation initiative.
After closing its building in March, Luna transformed its window space in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. For their production of Pass Over, which closed March 9, Luna created a Say Their Names portrait series reflecting Black lives lost to police violence. These images are now installed in the theatre’s windows at 555 Valley Road in West Orange.
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation supports arts, education, environment, informed communities, and poetry to connect communities and influence social change to achieve an equitable New Jersey.
“We are deeply grateful for the Dodge Foundation’s ongoing support as we continue creating meaningful work during the current pandemic,” said Luna Stage Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith. “We enter our 2020-2021 Season eager to continue creating vibrant and dynamic theatrical experiences, bringing our communities together for inspiring and challenging conversations, and building a virtual space for connection, creativity and cultural change-making.”
Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. Firmly rooted in New Jersey's Valley Arts District - a crossroads of cultures - Luna brings its communities together for artistic events that spark conversations and create understanding and change.
Luna Stage is the recipient of the 2019 People's Choice Award for Favorite Small Theatre in New Jersey. Luna has contributed to the development of over 100 new works for the stage, many of which premiered at Luna and have gone on to be produced in New York, regionally and internationally.
As producer, innovator, and educator, Luna is dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation and allowing all community members to nurture their own creativity and vision. Luna offers classes for children and adults, as well as opportunities for early-career and established theatre artists to develop and incubate new work.
