(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage is thrilled to announce The Ground On Which We Stand (Abridged) — a solo performance inspired by the history and legacy of The James Howe House written by Turron Kofi Alleyne, Jenny Lyn Bader, Sakinah Hofler, Stephen Kaplan, Kyle Mazer, Kathleen McGhee-Anderson, Diane Polledri, Martine Sainvil, TyLie Shider, Mo Schlick, Melissa Toomey, and Richard Wesley, abriged by TyLie Shider — will run June 5-22, 2025 on the MainStage.
Created in collaboration with historians, community activists, and genealogists, the play reflects over 200 years of African American experience in the United States, as well as the importance of oral history and the fight for historic preservation.
Inspired by the history and legacy of The James Howe House, the first home in the Township of Montclair to be owned by a formerly enslaved person, The Ground On Which We Stand interweaves diverse historic and contemporary voices and honors African American history and its role in shaping our future. The play spans 190 years, reflecting post-emancipation struggles, abolitionist history, the role of Black soldiers in the Civil War, the impact of de facto segregation past and present, and the way a community can come together to reckon with its past and make intentional choices to preserve and honor historic spaces.
Naja Selby-Morton, who most recently gave a “career-defining” (Out In Jersey) performance as Janice in Luna’s production of Christina Anderson’s “the ripple, the wave that carried me home” plays 10 characters in 45 minutes in the course of this solo tour-de-force.
Directed by Luna Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith (RIFT, Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, A Case for the Existence of God) The Ground On Which We Stand previews June 5 at 1:00pm and opens June 6 at 8:00pm. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, and Saturdays at 3:00pm, with a special Sunday matinee June 22 at 3:00pm. (Note: *the performance on Saturday, June 21 will be at 7:00pm to accommodate an outdoor performance at the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum.)
The performance was developed with the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, The New Jersey Historical Commission, The New Jersey Council on the Humanities, The Suzzanne Douglas Memorial Foundation and The Montclair Foundation.
To support equity and access, all Luna Stage productions are pay-what-you-choose. Tickets range from $10-$60 and are available for purchase online. 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, 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 received the NJ Arts 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. This season, Luna's production of Lonely Planet was recognized on two 2024 Best New Jersey Production lists, while Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library was honored on two lists of 2024 Best Plays in New York.
Luna world premieres include Tony Award-winner Matthew Lopez’s breakout play The Whipping Man, which became one of the most widely-produced plays in the United States; three World Premieres by Obie-winner Nikkole Salter; and Jenny Lyn Bader’s Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, which recently completed two extended runs Off-Broadway and anticipates its first regional transfer this fall.
