The cast of Jenny Lyn Bader’s ‘My First Time’
WEST ORANGE, NJ — Luna Stage’s Voting Writes Project continues this month with world premiere plays, films, a concept album and a costume party. Luna commissioned these myriad interactive events to inspire civic engagement in the November 2020 election. All events are free and open to the public via interactive livestream on Luna Stage’s Facebook and YouTube. Previous performances can be viewed on Luna’s website at www.lunastage.org and IGTV.
“These stories are revelatory and emboldening,” said Maxim Thorne, managing director of the Andrew Goodman Foundation, which collaborated with Luna Stage on the project’s development.
Luna will premiere a new voting-themed play every Thursday at 8 p.m. through Election Day, Nov. 3. Oct. 8 featured “Another Number in the Pool,” by Rachel Shapiro Cooper, an interview-based play exploring the deeply personal reasons why people don’t vote. Jenny Lyn Bader’s “My First Time,” premiering Monday, Oct. 12, interweaves tales of political initiation echoing across time and spanning generations; the show was added outside the Thursday-night schedule to highlight the Oct. 13 voter registration deadline in New Jersey. Amanda Sage Cumerford’s “Florida!,” a fantasia inspired by letters written to voters in swing states, premieres Oct. 15, directed by Jessica Brater. Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin’s “Count Me In,” chronicling the experiences of people who learn their vote was not counted, debuts Oct. 22. All six Voting Writes plays will stream live for a command performance on Oct. 29, just a few days before the election.
Vote Couture, a virtual costume party hosted by actor/writer Melody Bates on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 8 p.m., will combat voter isolation by inviting participants to share photos and videos wearing attire that reflects their enthusiasm for civic participation. Following on the heels of Bates’ Frock The Vote virtual party last month, Vote Couture is an all-ages event that invites participants to show off their election-themed duds and share voting inspiration.
Luna Stage’s Voting Writes Project launched in September with the debut of Jim Knable’s concept album “Songs of Suffrage.” Knable joins Luna every Tuesday night through Nov. 3 with a twangy new track and an interview-based podcast highlighting stories of voting throughout American history. The 50 Days/50 States Social DisDance Party brought participants across the country together to learn about registration deadlines and make a plan to vote, and Bernardo Cubria’s new play, “The Breakout Room,” about non-voters trapped in a dystopian Zoom reality premiered Sept. 17, and can be viewed on the Luna Stage Voting Writes website at https://www.lunastage.org/votingwrites.
Other Voting Writes Project virtual offerings include the short films “Teens Talk Voting” and “Mail-In Ballot Breakdown,” both created by Maggie Borgen. “The Power To Vote,” a documentary created by Borgen, Turron Kofi Alleyne and Luna’s Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith, shows Boris Franklin’s experience of registering to vote for the first time after incarceration.
On Oct. 16, 18 and 19, Luna will present “When They Go Low,” a solo conversation with Rajesh Bose exploring race in America and asking: “When they go low, how exactly do we go high?” Presented in collaboration with SOPAC, Bose’s conversations will be followed by virtual group discussions facilitated by Emmy-nominated TV producer Riaz Patel, who creates perspective-shifting experiences that inspire real-world change. Advance registration is required for this free event at lunastage.org/when-they-go-low.
The Voting Writes Project is created in collaboration with the Andrew Goodman Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. All Voting Writes events are open and free to the public. A complete calendar can be found at https://www.lunastage.org/voting-writes.
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