Luna Stage presents cybersecurity/data privacy face-off

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Google developer advocate Ben Morss and New Jersey Deputy District Attorney Kenneth Levine will delve into questions of internet privacy, cybersecurity and how much your mobile phone really knows about you at the Luna Stage world premiere of Christina Gorman’s “Roan @ The Gates.” The two guests will take the stage following the performances on Saturday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 17, at 3 p.m.

Levine’s investigations into data privacy include Facebook/Cambridge Analytica and the tracking of consumer geolocation by cell phone carriers. Morss describes his work as “traveling the globe making the Web faster and more beautiful.” These special post-show conversations, immediately following the performances, will help audiences relate the fictional world of the play to real-world cybersecurity dramas.

Set in Washington, D.C., and Russia, “Roan @ The Gates” explores what happens when personal lives collide with national security. Mel House plays the role of Roan, a data analyst for the NSA, and Aaliyah Habeeb is Roan’s wife, Nat, a lawyer committed to human rights advocacy. The play, directed by Michelle Tattenbaum, has been described as “a beautiful and high-stakes adventure that illuminates the cost of secrecy.”

Both Levine and Morss live in Montclair, and began discussing internet privacy issues while walking their dogs on Saturday mornings.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the show and post-show conversations, visit www.LunaStage.org/Roan or call 973-395-5551.

  Luna Stage