(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage has been awarded a $303,179.71 grant through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority's Activation, Revitalization, and Transformation (A.R.T.) Phase II program to support a multi-part public storytelling initiative designed to amplify the voices, histories, and lived experiences of residents of the City of Orange. The award was part of $15 million in grants distributed to 39 organizations statewide.
Luna will partner with residents, artists, and community organizations to create immersive, site-responsive experiences that encourage people to gather, walk through, and engage more deeply with Orange’s public spaces. By centering stories that have been untold or underrepresented, the project aims to build community connectedness, invite greater use of public and commercial spaces, and support ongoing revitalization by sparking conversation, curiosity, and pride in the city and one another.
Beginning later this month, the theatre will host a series of story circles at community locations including Orange House Café, Inner City Café, Kelli Copeland Arts Center, and the HUUB, inviting local residents to share their experiences and history to shape the work that is to come.
In June, Luna will present the world premiere & Sons, winner of the 2025 Kirk New Play Prize, in the Kelli Copeland Courtyard. In July, Luna’s 90-minute, 5-actor Hamlet (Abridged!) will tour to Metcalf Park, Colgate Park, and Monte Irvin Park.
In collaboration with social practice artists Pink Fang, the story circles will inspire a community oral history theatre piece featuring Orange residents. Pink Fang is known for performance work rooted in community building and social practice, and this work will serve as a living archive of contemporary life in Orange.
Luna will also commission a series of original narrative performances inspired by significant moments, places, and figures from Orange’s history. Performed in public spaces, these works will connect past and present, inviting audiences to encounter the city with fresh eyes.
Excerpts from both the oral history and historical performances will become part of a permanent audio installation accessible through QR codes throughout Orange, allowing residents and visitors to continue engaging with the city’s stories over time.
“This project is about making space—literally and artistically—to celebrate Orange’s rich history, and to invite collaboration and dialogue between the diverse residents who call this city home,” said Ari Laura Kreith, Artistic Director of Luna Stage. “We’re grateful to NJEDA for supporting a community-driven process that brings people together in parks, courtyards, cafés, and cultural hubs, and that leaves behind an enduring record of these voices and experiences.”
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s Activation, Revitalization, and Transformation (A.R.T.) Phase II program provides grants to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations for public space activation and arts-based placemaking efforts that strengthen communities and commercial corridors.
Luna Stage is a professional regional theatre in West Orange, New Jersey, dedicated to developing and producing socially engaged work and expanding access to the arts through performance, education, and community partnerships.
Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. This summer, Luna's commissioned world premiere RIFT by Gabriel Jason Dean made its international debut at Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre where it was honored with the 2025 Scotsman Fringe First Award. Other 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; Jenny Lyn Bader’s Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, which had two extended runs Off-Broadway in the 2024-2025 season; three premieres by Obie-winner Nikkole Salter; and the Luna-commissioned The Ground On Which We Stand, which received the 2024 Giles R. Wright Designation for Excellence in African American History. The company celebrates 15 years as an arts anchor of New Jersey’s Valley Arts neighborhood, a traditionally-underserved region bridging the townships of Orange and West Orange. Luna received the JerseyArts People’s Choice Award for Favorite Small Theatre in New Jersey, and is dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation and nurturing the next generation of audiences and artists.
