(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage launches its 2023 season with Obie-winner and Pulitzer-nominee Nikkole Salter’s Torn Asunder, a searing historical drama. Set in the years leading up to and immediately following emancipation, Torn Asunder is the story of a formerly enslaved woman’s quest to reunite with her husband and son. The play begins previews on February 2nd with an official opening on February 4, and runs through February 26.
The play is inspired by Dr. Heather Andrea Williams’ book Help Me Find My People, praised by the New York Times for its “revelation of the bonds forged by the collective grief and resilient love of a people finding themselves.” Williams details the poignant and often fruitless, “information wanted” advertisements placed in newspapers by formerly enslaved people searching for missing loved ones, as well as heartbreaking stories of separation and the complexities of freedpeople’s lives as they navigated unspeakable loss.
As part of Luna’s commitment to equity and access, all tickets are offered on a sliding scale ($10-$80) and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Tickets are available at www.lunastage.org/torn-asunder.
Luna Stage has premiered multiple works by Salter, including Carnaval, Lines In The Dust, and Indian Head, which the theatre also commissioned. Torn Asunder marks Salter’s fourth production at Luna, and her first since becoming Chair of Theatre Arts at Howard University.
Student matinee and group options are also available.
Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road in West Orange, New Jersey. Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. They 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 - they celebrate the diverse voices that surround them. As producer, innovator, and educator, they are dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation, and nurturing the next generation of audiences and artists.
