Luna Stage to premiere new play via text message

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Luna Stage will present a bold new theatrical experience in three parts: “#RIFT,” by Gabriel Jason Dean. Through the lens of two real-life brothers — one a convicted murderer, the other a playwright; one a member of the alt-right, the other an A.O.C.-type progressive — “#RIFT” explores whether it is possible to bridge fundamental political and ideological divides.

This three-part project has been designed to be both fluid and responsive. The first phase is a virtual experience: a durational play delivered via text message beginning April 9. Tickets are free but capacity is limited. Reservations are required and available at lunastage.org.

Dean, familiar to Luna audiences as the writer of “Heartland,” is investigating a deeply personal landscape in this play. Dean’s brother is a currently incarcerated member of the alt-right, and the two had barely spoken in 10 years. In creating this piece, Dean reconnected with his brother to explore the roots of their ideological differences, to see if there is any way to find common ground, and to try to understand what love means in this context.

“We believe that this deep and ongoing engagement with the creative process will allow audiences and artists to become collaborative partners, grappling together with how we understand our past and imagine our future,” Luna Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith said.

The second phase of “#RIFT,” launching later this spring, will encourage audience members to explore how they might reach across divides in their own lives and to share back these experiences. Audience stories will then be interwoven with the brothers’ interactions to create a third piece. For the final installment, viewers can attend a culminating and revelatory final chapter at Luna Stage, with both virtual and in-person attendance options available. 

This event is part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2021 Stages Festival, made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; the George A. Ohl, Jr. Trust; New Jersey Historical Commission; and Fund for the New Jersey Blind.

  Luna Stage