New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Luna Stage Streams World Premiere of "The Breakout Room" by Bernardo Cubria

originally published: 09/15/2020


(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage presents the World Premiere of Bernardo Cubría’s The Breakout Room on September 17 at 8:00pm on Luna’s live stream channels. This new play about non-voters trapped in a dystopian Zoom reality is part of the theatre’s Voting Writes Project, a two-month interdisciplinary arts event featuring commissioned plays, films, a concept album, a virtual dance party, and other interactive experiences celebrating civic engagement ahead of the November 2020 election.

In The Breakout Room, people who didn’t register to vote are condemned to a Zoom room where all they can do is wait. “I wanted to examine the pain of being stripped of agency in a country that pretends it is a given right,” said Cubría. “I really wanted to juxtapose that with the privilege of not voting. What does it say when you can vote but choose not to? Oh, and I hope it's funny.”

Cubría was recently nominated for best playwright at The Ovation Awards, Stage Raw Awards and The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for his play The Giant Void In My Soul.

Inspired by the play No Exit, Cubría drew on his frustration with friends who are refusing to vote in this year's election. “I kept thinking of how the characters in No Exit are just waiting to find out their fate and how they have no control over the next phase of their lives,” says Cubría. “It reminded me of the people who have had their vote taken from them: the thousands of people taken off of voter rolls or being redistricted without being told.”

Alana Dietze directs actors Leslie Fray, Roland Ruiz, and June Carryl in this virtual theater event.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here



The Breakout Room is the first in a series of commissioned plays for Luna’s Voting Writes Project. Other theatrical experiences will premiere on Thursdays throughout September and October, including World Premieres by Jenny Lyn Bader, Jessica Brater, Rachel Shapiro Cooper, and Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin. Each of these plays examines the themes of suffrage, civic participation and voter engagement.

The Voting Writes Project is created in collaboration with The Andrew Goodman Foundation, and supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. It features commissioned virtual concept albums and short films, in-person solo shows, and other interactive experiences. All events are open and free to the public, though registration is encouraged. A complete calendar can be found here.

On September 17 at 8:00pm, The Breakout Room’s premiere will stream on Facebook Live and YouTube. The performance will subsequently be available on Luna Stage’s website. Further details and registration for this event can be found at lunastage.org/voting-writes.



Bernardo Cubría was recently nominated for best playwright at The Ovation Awards, Stage Raw Awards and The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for his play The Giant Void In My Soul. The play is receiving its Regional Premiere at Stages Repertory Theatre in Houston, Texas in 2021 and its International Premiere at Foro Shakespeare in Mexico City in 2021. The play received a reading at Circle in the Square on Broadway in 2019. He was the co-writer of the short Spanish Class that won Best Comedy at The NBC Universal Shorts Awards in 2018.  He is currently working on a screenplay with Gina Rodriguez for her production company “I Can and I Will.”



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.




Please support the advertisers at New Jersey Stage!
Want info on how to advertise? Click here





FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Vivid

Vivid Summer Solos: My Name is Lucy Barton

Wednesday, July 16, 2025 @ 6:30pm
Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
68 Elm Street, Summit, NJ 07901
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

The

The Mallard

Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

The

The MAC players at the Middletown Arts Center present "Hairspray"

Friday, July 18, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJ 07748
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

The

The Mallard

Friday, July 18, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Premiere Stages - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

Good

Good Riddance; A Gnarly Murder Mystery Dinner, Dude!

Friday, July 18, 2025 @ 6:00pm
Carteret Performing Arts Center
46 Washington Ave, Carteret, NJ 07008
category: theatre

Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

"Jimmy

"Jimmy Buffet's Escape to Margaritaville" Enters Final Weekend at Centenary Stage Company

(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company's production of Jimmy Buffett's Escape to Margaritaville enters its final weekend of performances in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center. The musical, which opened on July 10th, concludes its limited run with performances from Wednesday, July 16 through Sunday, July 20, 2025.



The

The 7th Annual Rogue Theater Festival to Present 37 New Productions

(NEW YORK, NY) -- Rogue Theatre Festival (RTF) returns with a bold and eclectic lineup for their 7th annual celebration of new works. This year, the festival will showcase 37 original plays and musicals, including fully staged productions, short plays, staged readings, and digital streaming performances. The Flea Theatre in Tribeca hosts this year's festival with performances running August 4-10, 2025 running in association with Abingdon Theatre Company. Staged Readings will be performed in The Pete theatre, series of Shorts and Fully Staged productions will take place in The Siggy at The Flea.



Without

Without a Clue Productions presents "Mrs. Roper Romp" and "A Golden Girls Murder Mystery: A Family Affair" at Resorts Casino Hotel

(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) -- Without a Cue Productions heads to the Jersey Shore this summer with two cult classics coming to Atlantic City. Come for the caftan muumuus and stay for the Janet and Jack Tripper cocktails, as Mrs. Roper Romp brings the wild 70s fun to Resorts Casino Hotel. Don your best Mrs. Roper costume (and red curly haired wig!) and win fun prizes as you play party games and dance to Yacht rock inspired by the iconic hit show Three's Company. From the 70s to the 80s and early 90s, get ready to celebrate your favorite Golden Girls.



The

The Theater Project presents Kaleidoscope Kabaret 2025 in Summit

(SUMMIT, NJ) -– Six playwrights. Fourteen actors. Three singers. A band.



The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

'The Complete Works of William Shakespeare' Extends Its Run in Madison, NJ

The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (STNJ)'s summer offering is The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again]. It is a fast paced, high energy, and humorous presentation of the works of The Bard.