Virtual Story Circles
WHEN: Saturday, July 11, at 11 am and Wednesday, July 29, at 4 pm
Reservations are available on Ovationtix for the July 11th and July 29th events.
Further information about this collaboration and registration for Story Circles is available at lunastage.org.
For more information visit http://www.lunastage.org or email info@lunastage.org
Luna Stage is thrilled to announce a year-long collaboration with the acclaimed theatre group Ping Chong + Company, inspired by the people, the stories, and the history of the City of Orange.
The project launches in July with two free Virtual Story Circles open to residents of Orange as well as past residents and those with a deep connection to the community. Each 75-minute Story Circle welcomes 10 participants who will share, listen, and learn about their individual and collective relationships to Orange through a guided storytelling process.
The Story Circles will be facilitated by Turron Kofi Alleyne, Director of Community Engagement at Luna Stage and a resident of Orange; Christina Bixland, Education Director of Ping Chong + Company who lives in West Orange; and Kenya Bullock, Founder & Artistic Director of Tha Block Theatre Company in Trenton.
Registration for Story Circles is open to Orange residents and former residents ages 18+, but interested younger participants may contact Luna with guardian permission.
Over the course of the next year, Luna and Ping Chong will develop and present a new community-based project, created with and performed by individuals living in Orange, culminating in a spring 2021 performance. The Story Circles will launch the two companies’ collaborative process and ground this future theatrical work, amplifying and celebrating the voices of the Orange community. Stories shared in the Story Circles will not be used as material for later stages of the project but will begin a process of meaningful community dialogue and connection.
A second phase of the collaboration will begin in the Fall, when Luna Stage and Ping Chong + Company will gather a group of Orange residents interested in sharing their stories more publically, as part of the ultimate performance project. People of all ages, backgrounds, ages, professions, experiences and identities will be invited to apply. Selected applicants will participate in an intensive interview process as groundwork for the script, to be performed by the storytellers themselves.
In their collaboration’s final phase, Luna Stage and Ping Chong + Company will rehearse and present a spring 2021 performance: live or virtual, depending on current public health guidelines. The performance will reflect on the known and hidden histories of Orange, showcasing real-life stories from the community told by the community members themselves. These narratives will reflect a wide range of Orange’s population, illuminating the area’s rich diversity and unique character. At its core, this project aims to investigate and celebrate the local history surrounding Luna Stage, centering Orange residents throughout development and performance.
About Ping Chong + Company
Ping Chong + Company produces theatrical works addressing the important cultural and civic issues of our times, striving to reach the widest audiences with the greatest level of artistic innovation and social integrity.
The company was founded in 1975 by leading theatrical innovator Ping Chong with a mission to create works of theater and art that explore the intersections of race, culture, history, art, media and technology in the modern world. Today, Ping Chong + Company produces original works by a close-knit ensemble of affiliated artists, under the artistic leadership of Ping Chong.
Productions range from intimate oral history projects to grand scale cinematic multidisciplinary productions featuring puppets, performers, and full music and projection scores. The art reveals beauty, precision, and a commitment to social justice.
About Luna Stage
Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. Firmly rooted in New Jersey's Valley Arts District—a crossroads of cultures—Luna brings its communities together for artistic events that spark conversations and create understanding and change.
Luna Stage is the recipient of the 2019 People's Choice Award for Favorite Small Theatre in New Jersey. Luna has contributed to the development of over 100 new works for the stage, many of which premiered at Luna and have gone on to be produced in New York, regionally and internationally.
As producer, innovator, and educator, Luna is dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation and allowing all community members to nurture their own creativity and vision. Luna offers classes for children and adults, as well as opportunities for early-career and established theatre artists to develop and incubate new work.
Luna Stage | 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052
http://www.facebook.com/LunaStage | Instagram @luna.stage
