(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage presents Lonely Planet by Steven Dietz, directed by Melissa Firlit, from November 14 – December 8, 2024. Lonely Planet is a funny and heartwarming story of friendship, love, and survival. In the 1990s, down an old city street, inside a small map store, a pile of chairs begins to form. Two best friends, Jody and Carl, manage the ever-growing mountain of chairs while taking care of each other and navigating the dark reality that looms in the outside world.

The play debuted in 1994, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, and received the PEN USA West Award in Drama. Twenty years and a global pandemic later, it remains both prescient and deeply healing.

The cast features Dustin Ballard and John P. Keller. The design team includes Sarah Woods (Lights), Greg Scalera (Sound), Lucas Pinner (Scenic), and Deborah Caney (Costumes). Production Stage Manager is Sofia Feggulis.

Performances are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm and Sundays at 3:00pm. Run time is approximately 2 hours with a 10 minute intermission. To support equity and access to professional arts experiences, all programs at Luna are pay-what-you-choose. Tickets range from $10-$40 and are available for purchase online. Special group prices and student matinee performances are available upon request. Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road in West Orange, New Jersey.

Steven Dietz’s 30-plus plays and adaptations have been produced by over one hundred regional theatres across the United States, including Off-Broadway. International productions have been seen in over twenty-five countries. For the ‘24-25 season, Dietz was once again named one of the “20 Most-Produced Playwrights in America” by American Theatre Magazine. Recent world premieres include Gaslight (from Patrick Hamilton), Murder On The Links (from Agatha Christie), and How A Boy Falls. His play Shooting Star was adapted by Dietz and Kirk Lynn into the recent Meg Ryan movie, What Happens Later. Awards include the PEN-USA Award for Lonely Planet; Steinberg New Play Citation for Bloomsday; Kennedy Center New Play Award for both Fiction and Still Life With Iris; and an Edgar® Award for Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure. Dietz’s “sequel” to Murder On The Links – entitled Peril In The Alps – will premiere in San Diego and Laguna Beach in 2025. Dietz and his wife, playwright Allison Gregory, divide their time between Seattle and Austin.

Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences, and brings communities together for artistic events that spark conversations, create understanding, and inspire change. Founded in Montclair NJ in 1993, Luna Stage moved to West Orange in 2010 to become an arts anchor of the underserved Valley neighborhood. As producer, innovator, and educator, Luna is dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation, and nurturing the next generation of audiences and artists.

Luna’s current Off-Broadway production at 59E59 Theatres, Mrs. Stern Wanders The Prussian State Library, is playing to sold-out houses and rave reviews. Luna received the JerseyArts People's Choice Award for Favorite Small Theatre in New Jersey, the 2024 Giles R. Wright Designation for Excellence in African American History, and has contributed to the development of over 100 new works for the stage.

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.