WEST ORANGE, NJ — Luna Stage has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation to support the company’s ongoing work in 2020-2021. While the theater building remains closed due to COVID-19, Luna Stage continues to produce a wide range of virtual programs, supporting both local and national audiences in being creative, connected and inspired.
Luna’s upcoming performances include “The Voting Writes Project,” for which the company received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in June. This multiwriter collaboration will explore suffrage, voter suppression, apathy and activation in advance of the November 2020 election. Also planned for this season is a continuation of Luna’s American Voices Series, showcasing original solo performances reflecting on local and national identity to be shown on virtual and in-person platforms. The company has embarked on a year-long collaboration with Ping Chong + Company to create an original play inspired by stories and the history of Orange.
In addition, Luna has launched a wide variety of virtual classes and camps for both youth and adults. All programs are offered on a pay-what-you-wish basis to ensure these opportunities are accessible to all. Youth programs include filmmaking, improv, acting for the camera, podcasting, screenwriting, scene study, playwriting and stage combat, all conducted over Zoom. Classes for adults include 10-minute playwriting and the Voices Across America Solo Show Creation initiative.
After closing its building in March, Luna transformed its window space in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. For its production of “Pass Over,” which closed March 9, Luna created a “Say Their Names” portrait series reflecting black lives lost to police violence. These images are now installed in the theater’s windows at 555 Valley Road in West Orange.
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation supports arts, education, environment, informed communities and poetry to connect communities and influence social change to achieve an equitable New Jersey.
“We are deeply grateful for the Dodge Foundation’s ongoing support as we continue creating meaningful work during the current pandemic,” Luna Stage Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith said. “We enter our 2020-2021 season eager to continue creating vibrant and dynamic theatrical experiences, bringing our communities together for inspiring and challenging conversations, and building a virtual space for connection, creativity and cultural change-making.”
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