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Monday, October 12, 2020

Luna Stage Announces World Premiere of one-act play, My First Time



The Voting Writes Project 

October 6 - November 2
For more information visit http://www.lunastage.org or email info@lunastage.org

My First Time

WHEN: Monday, October 12th, at 8pm
WHERE:
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Luna Stage Company has announced the world premiere of Jenny Lyn Bader’s one-act play with a star-studded cast that includes Drama Desk Award winner Isabel Keating and SAG Award winner Alysia Reiner.

My First Time tells tales of political initiation that reverberate over years, interweaving scenes from three chronological eras as it spans half a century in twelve minutes.  

The one-act will be directed by Luna's Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith, with a live discussion to follow.

The cast will be Giuliana Carr (Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, Luna Stage); Pauline Chalamet (The King of Staten Island, dir. Judd Apatow); karen Eilbacher (Fun Home, Bway National tour); Jevonnah Mayo (Mourning Sun, Kampala Int'l Theatre Festival), Isabel Keating (Wicked, Broadway); and Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black).

This new play is part of Luna Stage's Voting Writes Project, which includes world premiere plays, films, a concept album, and virtual events designed to inspire civic engagement. All events are free and open to the public via interactive livestream on Luna Stage's Facebook and YouTube pages. Previous performances can be viewed on Luna’s website and IGTV.

"These stories are revelatory and emboldening,” said Maxim Thorne, Managing Director of The Andrew Goodman Foundation, who collaborated with Luna Stage on the project’s development. 

"We all know that history repeats only when we're not paying attention," said Bader, "Our conversations at the Voting Writes Project have made me think about that idea through an interpersonal lens. I wrote this play to explore how our individual experiences echo over time and impact the life stories of others — and to look at the influences that can break the cycle or make us engage with the world in a new way."

Bader's work was last seen at Luna Stage in fall 2019, with the world premiere of her historical drama Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, about the arrest of Hannah Arendt in 1933 Berlin, also directed by Kreith.

Voting Writes 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.

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