(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage has announced its 2019-2020 Season, featuring two World Premieres as well as the 2019 Lucille Lortel-winner for Best New Play. This year also marks the launch of the newly-renovated Luna2, which will allow the West Orange professional theatre to offer six shows in the coming season.
The upcoming season will feature three MainStage shows: the World Premiere of Jenny Lyn Bader’s Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, Antoinette Nwandu’s Lortel-winning Pass Over, and the World Premiere of J.Stephen Brantley’s Shruti Gupta Can Totally Deal. Brantley’s Pirira received reviewer and audience raves at Luna last season.
Set in 1933 Berlin, Bader’s suspenseful drama explores the interaction between young Hannah Arendt and the prison guard who is responsible for charging her with a political crime. Nwandu’s poetic and highly charged play is set in an unnamed inner city, and explores Waiting for Godot as a metaphor for the experience of young black men in America. Brantley sets his play in Jackson Heights, Queens—the most diverse neighborhood in the world—and explores immigration, racism, and what it truly means to be American.
In addition to these productions taking place on Luna's 99-seat MainStage, the newly-renovated 60-seat Luna2 will showcase intimate, entertaining, and timely performances. This season launches with the American Voices series, featuring original work by contemporary American solo theatre artists. Soo Jin Pretty Nail (and more!) by South Orange’s Susan Hyon, inaugurates the American Voices series and is Hyon’s comical semi-autographical tale of growing up Korean-American in suburban Pennsylvania. As Susie struggles with identity, her long-lost sister arrives brimming with beauty advice and Korean stereotypes. It will be followed by Dipti Bramhandkar’s American Rookie, inspired by her experiences growing up and living in America after moving from Mumbai to rural Upstate New York, which grapples with what it means to be an immigrant at a time when the country just can’t stop talking about it.
"We're thrilled to be offering this season of adventurous new plays tackling some of the most important issues facing us today," said Luna's Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith. "And we're honored to be chosen to premiere work by some of the most exciting playwrights in America."
Luna Stage 2019-2020 Season
September 21 - October 7 | American Voices - Soo Jin Pretty Nail (and more!) by Susan Hyon; Directed by David Skeist.
October 17–November 10 | MainStage - A World Premiere - Mrs. Stern Wanders The Prussian State Library by Jenny Lyn Bader; Directed by Ari Laura Kreith
January 11 - January 20 | American Voices - American Rookie by Dipti Bramhandkar; Directed by Padraic Lillis
February 6–March 1 | MainStage - Winner of the 2019 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Play - Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu; Directed by Devin E. Haqq
April 16–May 17 | MainStage - A World Premiere - Shruti Gupta Can Totally Deal by J.Stephen Brantley; Directed by Ari Laura Kreith
A third show in the American Voices Series will be announced soon, and will run from March 13-23.
Tickets - Single tickets are now on sale, at LunaStage.org. General Admission tickets are $20-40, and special offers are available for seniors and students. A limited number of Premium Tickets are available for Opening Nights for $50, including post-show party. Patrons may use code TENOFF for $10 off each MainStage General Admission tickets now through Labor Day (some restrictions apply).
Luna will also continue its special family Buy-One-Get-One pricing on all shows in its season, offering one $5 ticket for a student with each adult ticket (General Admission or Senior) for Friday and Monday performances with code BOGOFAM5.
Season Passes are also available, and allow patrons to purchase a package now and select performance dates later. The Full Season Pass offers all 6 shows at 15% off for $155. Three other package options are available, and all of the details can be found at LunaStage.org/SeasonPass.
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.
