Releases & Photos

LUNA STAGE PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE OF REPARATION BY GINO DIIORIO

Press contact: Mona Hennessy, 973.395.5551, monahennessy.luna@gmail.com.

Photos available upon request.

West Orange: Luna Stage presents the world premiere of Reparation, a provocative new play about a real estate deal in trouble when the site is discovered to be a slave burial ground. Preview performances run February 9th-16th and opening night is February 17th. The play runs through March 11th. Performance times are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are on sale now, $20-$30 per person (opening night with reception is $35 per ticket), and can be purchased in person, on the phone at 973-395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website: www.lunastage.org. The performance on Sunday, February 19th at 3pm will be followed by a talkback with playwright Gino DiIorio and other members of the creative team.

Reparation tells the story of David, a middle-aged African-American investment banker who has made his career by playing the race card. Now, in the midst of the financial meltdown, he finds himself out of options and out of friends. His last hope is an old flame with a potentially lucrative real estate venture. But he soon learns that there are secrets buried beneath the land, secrets that will force him to come to terms with his own past transgressions, reconsider his loyalties, and determine his legacy. Reparation was a 2010 Yale Drama Series Finalist.

This world premiere production of Reparation features original music by acclaimed jazz musician Oliver Lake and the cast includes star of stage and screen, Frankie Faison. Shane Taylor and Catherine Eaton complete the outstanding three-person cast. The set is designed by Maiko Chii. Lighting is by Rachel Budin, sound by Steve Brown and costumes by Deborah Caney. The production is stage managed by Mary Ellen Allison.

Luna Stage Artistic Director, Jane Mandel, who is directing the production, says of the piece, “Reparation is an incredibly timely play in so many ways. The relationship between morality and profit is at the forefront of our collective consciousness and has been the driving force behind the global political protests of the last couple of years. This country and much of its current corporate wealth was founded on slave labor and we haven’t really reconciled this as a nation. Reparation is about legacy and the perils we face when we put quick financial gain ahead of our humanity. The story of this play is about two people coming to terms with their personal histories, but as in any great play, the implications are to something much larger than these two individuals.”

In addition to being a 2010 Yale Drama Series finalist, Reparation won the 2011 E. Desmond Lee Playwriting Prize (University of Missouri-St. Louis). Playwright Gino DiIorio’s other works include the play The Jag, which was the winner of the 2010 Firehouse Theatre’s Great American New Play Award and a finalist in the 2011 Laurents Hatcher Award Competition. Dead Ringer and Apostasy, both of which received world premieres at the New Jersey Rep, are published by Samuel French. Mr. DiIorio’s new play Release Point was a finalist for the 2011 Thomas Barbour Memorial Playwright’s Award. A Professor of Theatre at Clark University in Worcester, MA, Mr. DiIorio has also taught at The New School for Social Research, NYU, the Weist Barron School, and Rockland Community College.

Shane Taylor plays David. Mr. Taylor last appeared at Luna Stage in the company’s critically acclaimed 2005 production of Topdog/Underdog by Suzan-Lori Parks. Frankie Faison is William, a custodian who has kept watch over the consecrated ground and holds the key to securing the real estate deal. Mr. Faison is best known for his role in HBO’s The Wire and was last seen at Luna Stage as King Lear in a benefit reading of Shakespeare’s masterpiece performed by an all African-American cast. Catherine Eaton rounds out the cast as Chrissy, a woman who inherited her father’s company and must find a way, any way, to keep it solvent. Ms. Eaton, a former member of the Guthrie Theatre’s resident company, is a founding partner of the production house, Stir. She wrote and performs the solo-show, Corsetless, which has toured internationally and is being adapted for film.

World–renowned jazz artist Oliver Lake co-founded the internationally acclaimed World Saxophone Quartet with Julius Hemphill, Hamiet Bluiett and David Murray and WSQ recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with an album of Jimi Hendrix pieces for Justin Time Records. While he has continued to tour regularly with his own groups, collaborations and guest appearances, Mr. Lake recognized the changing trends and new challenges facing creative artists, especially those working in the jazz tradition, and he founded Passin’ Thru, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit, dedicated to fostering, promoting and advancing the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of jazz, new music and other disciplines in relation to music.

For information on this production and all other events and programs at Luna Stage, visit the company website: www.lunastage.org. Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052. 973-395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available.

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LUNA STAGE’S JAZZ SERIES FEATURES BASSIST JOHN LEE IN A TRIBUTE TO DIZZY GILLESPIE

Press contact: Mona Hennessy, 973.395.5551, monahennessy.luna@gmail.com

West Orange, NJ:  Luna Stage continues its new Jazz series, Music In The Moonlight: An Intimate Evening of Jazz on Sunday February 26th at 7pm with a one-night only concert by acclaimed bassist, John Lee. Mr. Lee will be accompanied by trumpeter Greg Gisbert and guitarist Yotam Silberstein in the performance of The Religion of Bebop:  A Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie at Luna Stage,555 Valley Road inWest Orange,NJ.  Tickets are on sale now -  $15 in advance, $18 at the door – and can be purchased in person, on the phone at 973-395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website: www.lunastage.org.

The Dizzy Gillespie tribute is the second of three concerts that Luna Stage will be presenting this season as part of the new series.  The final concert will be held in the spring, with exact date and artists to be announced.

Dizzy Gillespie often compared music to religion.  “It doesn’t reveal all of itself at one time,” he said, explaining the development of bebop in the early 1940s.  “We had no way of knowing that the time was right.  There was no assurance about anything. The one thing we did know is that it was time to make a change in the playing of our music.”

South Orange based bassist, composer, educator and producer John Lee spent eight years with the Dizzy Gillespie quintet and big band.  He also helped create the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars.  In this 90-minute concert at Luna Stage, he will lead a trio playing music associated with Gillespie.  The trio includes Guitarist Yotam Silberstein who is a current member of the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars.

Says Cheryl Katz, Associate Artistic Director of Luna Stage, “There is an inherent theatricality in the performance of Jazz, and a large number of outstanding Jazz musicians reside and work in and around The Valley Arts District where Luna Stage is now located. So, when Jazz scholar, Sanford Josephson approached us about doing a series of Jazz concerts by local artists at the Theatre, it seemed a natural fit.”  Mr. Josephson, the curator of the Music In The Moonlight series at Luna Stage, will make an effort to program artists and/or performances that are thematically linked to the theatrical productions on Luna’s Mainstage Theatre. In February, Luna Stage will produce the world premiere of Reparation, a new play by Gino DiIorio that addresses the legacy of the slave trade and the African-American experience.  Bebop was created as a rebellion, by mostly African-American musicians, against the limitations on creative freedom that were typical of the big bands of the swing era.

John Lee was born June 28th, 1952 in Boston, Massachusetts. He began his long and lustrous career playing with the Max Roach Quartet, Gary Bartz, Philip Catherine, Joe Henderson, Chris Hinze, Jasper Van’T Hof, Joachim Kuhn, Charlie Mariano and Toots Thielemans, among others. In the late 70s and early 80s, Mr. Lee formed his own bands first with Gerry Brown and guitarist Philip Catherine and then as part of the McCoy Tyner Quintet. In 1984, he joined the Dizzy Gillespie Group and remained a part of this ensemble until Dizzy’s passing in 1993. At present, Mr. Lee is producing, directing the Dizzy Gillespie TMAlumni All-Stars
 and the Dizzy Gillespie TMAll-Star Big Band, as well as working with the bands of Slide Hampton, Sonny Rollins, Claudio Roditi, and Roy Hargrove. Mr. Lee also leads his own bands, the John Lee Quartet and Quintet, at many venues around the country. He has his own state of the art recording studio in South Orange, NJ called Alleycat Studio, a division of his production company Alleycat Productions. Mr. Lee is also the co-founder and CEO of Jazz Legacy Productions, a jazz based record label established in 2009. He also produces the annual South Orange Giants of Jazz concert held in the fall.  This year, for the first time, it was held at the South Orange Performing Arts Center.

Greg Gisbert was born in Mobile, Alabama. He was a member of the McDonald’s All-American High School Jazz Band in the early ’80s before attending Berklee School of Music.  After leaving Berklee, he went on the road with drummer Buddy Rich, and continued his career by playing with Woody Herman’s band, the John Fedchock-Maria Schneider Big Band and with such musicians as vibraharpist Gary Burton, pianists Toshiko Akiyoshi and Norman Simmons, tenor saxophonist Frank Wess and trumpeters Clark Terry and Buck Clayton.  Now a resident of South Orange, Gisbert has become a highly respected jazz educator, teaching at festivals and conducting clinics across the country.  He has also been a member of the jazz faculty at the University of Miami.  He produced the debut album of conductor/composer Chie Imiazumi, who was named Downbeat Magazine’s Rising Star Arranger in 2011 and Rising Star Composer in 2007, and recently played in the orchestra in the Broadway musical, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, with Harry Connick Jr.

Yotam Silberstein was born and raised in Tel-Aviv, Israel. At 21, he won the prestigious Israeli Jazz Player of the Year competition, and was invited to perform in Italy at the Umbria Jazz Festival. That same year, Mr. Silberstein released his debut record, The Arrival. In 2005, Mr. Silberstein received a scholarship to study jazz and contemporary music at the New School in New York City. A month later, he was selected as one of 10 top guitar players to participate in the semi-finals of the Thelonious Monk Institute’s celebrated competition. Now a resident of New York City, Mr. Silberstein is a regular on the jazz scene, performing around the globe with such greats as Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Louis Hayes, Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, Al Jarreau, Paquito D’Rivera, Monty Alexander, Dee Dee Bridgewater, James Spaulding, Roy Hargrove, Pat Martino, Greg Hutchinson, Antonio Hart, Slide Hampton, the Dizzy Gillespie All- Stars—and the late James Moody, who was an early advocate, friend and mentor. In 2009, Mr. Silberstein recorded his second CD as a leader, Next Page, on Posi-Tone Records. He also toured with Steely Dan as part of the Sam Yahel Trio. He joined the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band and was featured on its CD, I’m Bebopin’ Too. In 2010, Mr. Siblerstein was signed by Jazz Legacy Productions to record his most recent CD, Resonance, with Aaron Goldberg, Christian McBride, Greg Hutchinson and Roy Hargrove. The album reached #3 on the JazzWeek charts and #1 on the Music Choice chart.

Music in The Moonlight Series Curator Sanford Josephson is the author of Jazz Notes: Interviews Across the Generations (Praeger/ABC-Clio).  He has written extensively about jazz musicians in a variety of publications ranging from the New York Daily News to American Way Magazine.  He currently writes the “Big Band in the Sky” column for Jersey Jazz Magazine. Josephson is also director of marketing and public relations for the Matheny Medical and Educational Center, a special hospital and educational facility in Peapack, NJ, for children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities.  He is a member of the New Jersey Jazz Society, the Jazz Journalists Association and the Duke Ellington Society and is on the Board of Directors of the Healthcare Planning & Marketing Society of New Jersey and the New Jersey Advertising Club. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO, and lives in West Orange, NJ, with his wife, Linda, and dog, Onyx.

For information on The Religion of Bebop: A Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, and all other events and programs at Luna Stage, visit the company website: www.lunastage.org.  Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052. 973-395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available.

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STAND-UP COMEDY NIGHT AT LUNA STAGE FEATURES MICHAEL CHE, FREDDY SHEFFIELD, PHOEBE ROBINSON AND ANTON SHUFORD

Press contact: Mona Hennessy, 973.395.5551,  monahennessy.luna@gmail.com

West Orange, NJ:  Michael Che, recently named a “Comic To Watch” by Comedy Central, hosts Stand-UpComedy Night at Luna Stage on Thursday January 19^th, 2012 at 8pm.  Mr. Che is the regular host of the ongoing series and will be joined this month by fellow comics Freddy Sheffield, Phoebe Robinson, and Anton Shuford at Luna Stage, 555 Valley Road in West Orange, NJ.  Tickets are on sale now - $10 (21 and over only, with ID) – and can be purchased in person, on the phone at 973-395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website: www.lunastage.org. Refreshments will be available for purchase at the door.

Luna Stage’s Stand-Up Comedy Night is a bi-monthly event featuring a full evening of stand up comedy from the tri-state area’s up and coming comics. Performers have been seen on MTV, NBC and Comedy Central and Luna Stage’s intimate theatre gives audiences the opportunity to see these rising stars up-close and personal.

Host Michael Che is a native New Yorker who has already gained the respect and admiration of many of the comedians and audiences inNew York City. His comedy blends street culture with world issues to hilarious results.

FreddySheffieldhas been honing his skills for 5 years in and around the NYC area. Born to an African American father and a Japanese mother his culturally diverse background gives him a funny, unique perspective and fresh, sometimes controversial, insights on everything from race to politics.

Cleveland-native Phoebe Robinson is steadfastly making her presence known in theNew York Citycomedy scene, where she performed most recently in the New York Underground Comedy Festival.  She regularly appears at such venues as Gotham Comedy Club, New York Comedy Club, NYU, and Carolines, delivering comedy on everyday topics in a laid-backMidweststyle that appeals to multi-cultural and multi-generational audiences.

Anton Shuford is based inPhiladelphiaand has been performing for six years. He’s a regular at the localPhiladelphiavenues but he is also making his name as a comic on stages fromHartfordtoNorth Carolina, becoming within the span of his short career one of the busiest comics in the city.

For more information on Stand-Up Comedy Night at Luna Stage, and all other events and programs at Luna Stage, visit the company’s website: www.lunastage.org  or call 973-395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available.

 

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LUNA STAGE’S NEW BILINGUAL HOLIDAY SHOW MI CASA, TU CASA IS A CELEBRATION FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Press contact: Mona Hennessy, 973.395.5551, monahennessy.luna@gmail.com.

Photos available upon request.

West Orange, NJ:  Luna Stage presents the world premiere of a new bilingual holiday celebration for the entire family. Mi Casa, Tu Casa previews on December 1at 7:30pm, opens on December 2and runs through December 18.  Performance times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm.  The performance on Sunday December 4 at 3pm will be followed by a talkback with the show’s co-creators. Tickets are on sale now, $25 for adults, $10 for children 12 and younger, and can be purchased in person, on the phone at 973-395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website: www.lunastage.org.

Mi Casa, Tu Casa features a five-member band and a pair of host storytellers who guide their guests through a lively and engaging line-up of folksongs and fables, seasonal poems, holiday musical favorites and personal anecdotes of family traditions. Even audience members become part of la fiesta in this unique interactive experience.

Under the artistic direction of Jane Mandel, local musicians Michael Aquino and Deivis Garcia and playwright Dania Ramos have co-created a show that opens the doors to a variety of cultures, exploring the beauty of language and song in English and Spanish. The show features The Casa Band (members Michael Aquino, Deivis Garcia, Jane Keitel, Cindi Merklee and Chris White) and storytellers Ernio Hernandez and Paula Moscoso.  The set features vibrant mural work by Jennifer Levine and students from Arts Unbound, a partner arts organization in The Valley Arts District.

When considering what to program for the “holiday slot”, Luna Stage Artistic Director Jane Mandel and Managing Director Mona Hennessy wanted to present a piece that would speak to the theatre’s vastly diverse audience – something that would rekindle the true spirit of tradition and family togetherness that is at the crux of all holiday celebrations.  They approached longtime Luna collaborators Michael Aquino, Deivis Garcia and Dania Ramos about creating a work specifically for Luna Stage. The result is a festive and joyous performance for the whole family, ages 2-102.

Michael Aquino is an actor, musician and singer-songwriter. He received a degree in theater from Montclair State University and has worked as an actor in regional theaters such as George Street Playhouse, The American Globe and Playwrights Theater of New Jersey. At Luna Stage, he was in the cast of the professional premiere of Sheldon Harnick’s musical Dragons, as well as Ghosts starring Frankie Faison. In 2005 and 2006, he also served as the Summer Camp Director for Luna and collaborated with students in writing the score for their original musical. Michael has written over 50 original songs on guitar. He also created and facilitated 14 Songs in 14 Days, an intensive online songwriting workshop. This past spring he was invited to perform with Ken Kusama at the Cape May Singer-Songwriter Festival. 2010 saw the release of his band Sirs’ debut album, The Black Friday Sessions. He’s currently in pre-production for his debut solo album. In 2008, Michael created Indie Music Circus, a showcase for independent musicians in residence at Luna Stage. For updates about Michael, visit something-artsy.com.

Dania Ramos’ writing has been featured in the Rose City Project: Literary Showcase at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Luna Stage’s On the Road educational theater series, and the Playwrights Summer Institute at New Jersey City University. She’s a current participant in the NJ Emerging Women Playwrights Project at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey. Dania is the creator of the Literary Lounge reading series, in residence at Luna Stage, which has featured over forty local and regional writers of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction. She received a 2003 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Playwriting Fellowship and a 2011 Norman Mailer Center Young Adult Fiction Workshop Scholarship. Dania is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University and a BFA in Theatre Performance from Montclair State University.

Deivis Garcia is a singer/songwriter, and collaborator, who specializes in a unique brand of music he calls “Spanglish “Guajirobilly.”  His sound, be it alternately in English or Spanish (or both), is an ambitious blend of the rural folkloric styles of Pan-Latin America – ranging from Mexico to Cuba to Puerto Rico to Colombia and Bolivia – along with his own original tunes as influenced by American Roots music, Southern Blues, Doo Wop music, Rockabilly and Outlaw Country music. His approach is, not so much to push boundaries but to represent the very living, breathing, and evolving frontiers of overlapping cultural identities. His own reflection of this happens to emerge as a circuit between the rich histories of his own Caribbean, North American, and South American background. Deivis was born in Elizabeth, NJ, has had cartoons published in Raygun Publishing’s Bikini Magazine and in the printed edition of Jersey Tomato Press, a short story published in Dirt Press: Volume One. His story “Word Is Bond” was shortlisted for the 2009 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest. He is also a muralist and painter, and co-founded the annual Boro 6 Indie Music fest in Montclair.

Arts Unbound is a nonprofit organization founded in 2000 and incorporated in 2003 as a 501c3 nonprofit. Their mission is to provide arts education, skills building and a variety of vocational opportunities in the visual arts to youth and adults with mental, developmental and physical disabilities. The organization strives to inspire students of all ages through classes in the visual arts, cultivating avenues of self- expression, personal achievement and life enrichment that come with mastering art techniques. They also provide the professional training necessary for emerging artists to compete on the retail market and to share their creativity with the world as artists who happen to live with disabilities.

For information on Mi Casa, Tu Casa and all other events and programs at Luna Stage, visit the company website: www.lunastage.org.  Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052. 973-395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available.

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LUNA STAGE PRESENTS A HOLIDAY PUPPET SHOW FOR CHILDREN

Press contact: Mona Hennessy, 973.395.5551, monahennessy.luna@gmail.com.

Photo attached.

West Orange, NJ:  Luna Stage presents Mr. Kipley in Moo Moo’s Magical Winter Holidays: A Holiday Puppet Show for Children for two performances only:  Saturday December 3^rd and Saturday December 10^th at 11am. All tickets are $10 and can be purchased in person, on the phone at 973-395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website: www.lunastage.org.

Puppeteer and magician “Mister Kipley” and his loveable fuzzy sidekick, Moo-Moo, ask the audience to join them in a multi-cultural celebration of winter holidays from around the world! Live music, interactive puppetry, and dazzling magic tricks combine to bring to life the traditions of winter holidays celebrated by many different cultures, from Christmas & Chanukah, Kwanzaa to Chinese New Year, Eid Al Adha to Las Posadas.  Children ages 3 and up will join Moo-Moo in a world of fun!

Mister Kipley has been performing for children and families for over 20 years. Over the last two decades, he has performed numerous family and educational programs with Boston’s famed City Stage Company, and was the very first actor to portray Buster Bunny in the very first live show based on Marc Brown’s “Arthur” books at the Boston Children’s Museum. He has performed at grade schools and libraries throughout the Northeast and New York/New Jersey region as Johnny Junkfood in the nutrition-education juggling show, “Food Play”, and was a co-founder of the original Hoboken puppet show, “The Story Hour”. Inspired largely by Jim Henson’s work, Mister Kipley has created his own style of performance that combines live music, interactive puppetry, magic tricks, balloon twisting, and of course lots of irreverent humor. His number one goal is to create magical moments that children and grown ups can enjoy together, just as he used to watch The Muppet Show with his whole family, laughing and singing along.

Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052. 973-395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available. For information on Moo Moo’s Magical Winter Holiday and all other events and programs at Luna Stage, visit the company website: www.lunastage.org.

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LUNA STAGE PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE OF THE DANGERS OF ELECTRIC LIGHTING BY BEN CLAWSON

Press contact: Mona Hennessy, 973.395.5551, monahennessy.luna@gmail.com. Photos available upon request.

Luna Stage presents the world premiere of The Dangers of Electric Lighting, an entertaining and revealing new play about Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla and their battle to control the future of electricity.  Preview performances run October 13th-October 20th and opening night is October 21st. The play runs through November 13th.  Performance times are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm.  Tickets are on sale now, $20-$30 per person (opening night with reception is $35 per ticket), and can be purchased in person, on the phone at 973-395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website: www.lunastage.org.

On Sunday, November 6th the 3pm performance will be accessible for people with hearing loss through the use of open-captioning.

Two other performances will offer talk-back sessions after the play.  On Sunday, October 23rd the audience can hear Ben Clawson and other members of the creative team discuss the process of the play’s development.  On Thursday, October 27th Paul Israel, Managing Editor of the Thomas A. Edison Papers at Rutgers University, will discuss the development of the documentary legacy of America’s most prolific inventor and innovator.

It is the mid 1880s and the world is emerging from darkness; the advent of the electric light is about to illuminate the globe. The power to spread this new wonder sits cradled in the hands of one man, Thomas Alva Edison. But when a young Serbian immigrant named Nikola Tesla arrives looking for work, Edison must struggle to keep the future of electricity within his control. The Dangers of Electric Lighting examines the ambitions and pride that accompany genius, the concessions made in the name of progress, and the darkness on the road to light up the world.

The play was commissioned by Luna Stage in 2009.  Upon relocating to West Orange, Artistic Director Jane Mandel felt that a play about Thomas Edison would be an exciting way to engage with the theatre’s new community.  She approached Ben Clawson, a writer who has a long history with Luna Stage.  She selected Mr. Clawson because of his youth and unique sense of humor.  “I didn’t want the piece to be dry and solely scientific.  I wanted to explore the humanity, the frailty of these geniuses, to make the men, their accomplishments and their failures, accessible and engaging.  I knew Ben was the writer to bring levity and resonance to this story.”

Ben Clawson received his B.F.A. in Theater from Montclair State University, NJ in 2007. He is the author of numerous full length and one act plays that have had professional productions, readings and workshops in New York, New Jersey, Washington D.C. and New Orleans. He has been an evening winner and finalist in the Samuel French Short Play festival, national finalist for the American College Theater Festival’s John Cauble One-Act Award, finalist for the Princess Grace Award in playwriting, and recipient of the Kennedy Center’s David Mark Cohen award. He is a founding member of the StrangeDog Theater Company.

The production is directed by John Henry Davis, a theatre, film and television director, playwright and teacher. New plays and musicals he has directed have premiered at Playwrights Horizons, The Mark Taper Forum, the Kennedy Center and The Dallas Theatre Center, including Papa and Mountain, starring Len Cariou. Last summer he directed the world premieres of The Catherine Wheel by Craig Lucas and Night Float by Lila Feinberg at Playwrights Horizons. He also directed The Last Castrato by Guy Glass at the Connelly Theatre, a new play developed through Luna Stage’s New Moon Reading Series.

Acclaimed theatre director James Glossman is returning to his roots as an actor and playing the lead of Thomas Alva Edison.  Jon Barker, a regular player at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey portrays Nikola Tesla.  The outstanding cast of five is rounded out by Frank Anderson who does a double turn as Westinghouse, Edison’s corporate competitor and Benjamin Franklin, Edison’s muse and confidante; Joseph Langham as Batchelor, Edison’s trusted right hand man; and B. Brian Argotsinger as Brown, a low level Edison employee who leads the crusade against alternating current as a means to transmit electricity.

Danielle Constance is stage managing; and the creative team includes Andreea Mincic as set designer, Paul Hudson as lighting designer, Deborah Caney as costume designer, and for sound, Randall Eng was brought on board to compose original music and Damien Hennessy is working on sound design.

Thomas Edison and his invaluable contributions to the brightening and enlightening of the world are ingrained in the history and pride of West Orange, NJ.  Luna Stage is proud to be a new force in West Orange culture.  Understanding the importance of collaboration and community partnership in highlighting some of the wonderful places in West Orange, Luna Stage, the Manor  Restaurant and the Thomas Edison National Park Museum have teamed up to offer a special West Orange Package: two tickets to the Edison museum (can be used anytime), a prix fixe dinner for two at The Manor and two tickets to The Dangers of Electric Lighting for any Saturday evening or Sunday matinee performance after opening – all for only $150.00.

For information on this production, the open-captioned performance, the special West Orange package, and all other events and programs at Luna Stage, visit the company website: www.lunastage.org.  Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052. 973-395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available.

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LUNA STAGE’S NEW JAZZ SERIES, MUSIC IN THE MOONLIGHT, AN INTIMATE EVENING OF JAZZ, FEATURES VOCALIST SARAH PARTRIDGE

Press contact: Mona Hennessy, 973.395.5551, monahennessy.luna@gmail.com

West Orange, NJ:  Luna Stage begins its new Jazz series, Music In The Moonlight: An Intimate Evening of Jazz on Sunday November 20^th at 7pm with a concert by acclaimed vocalist Sarah Partridge. Ms. Partridge will be accompanied by pianist Allen Farnham. This inaugural performance entitled Jazz and The American Songbook is the first of three concerts that Luna Stage will be presenting this season as part of the new series.  The subsequent performances will be held in February and April, with exact dates and artists to be announced.  The one-night only performance on November 20^th of Jazz and The American Songbook featuring Sarah Partridge will be presented at Luna Stage, 555 Valley Road in West Orange, NJ.  Tickets are on sale now -  $15 in advance, $18 at the door – and can be purchased in person, on the phone at 973-395-5551, or on the Luna Stage website: www.lunastage.org.

Throughout the last half-century, many renowned Jazz artists have embraced American popular standards, and in some cases, the Jazz versions of these songs have become more popular than the original versions.  To name just a few, April in Paris will always be linked with Count Basie,  Jerome Kern’s All the Things You Are is a favorite of Jazz musicians and was a classic recording of the late alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, and  Richard Rodgers’ My Favorite Things was written for The Sound of Music, but was also the title track of a classic John Coltrane album.

In a 90-minute concert entitled Jazz and The American Songbook, vocalist Sarah Partridge and pianist Allen Farnham will explore this connection that not only crosses genres of music, but various performance media as well.

For the past 20 years, Luna Stage has gained a reputation as a premiere producer of outstanding, critically acclaimed new and classical work for the stage. In the fall of 2010, after 18 years in Montclair, Luna Stage moved to its current home in West Orange, and became a proud member of The Valley Arts District.  Luna Stage believes that all of the arts have the power to bring vitality and cohesion to a community. The company is committed to establishing partnerships and collaborations with artists of multiple disciplines to illuminate the diverse perspectives of society.  This commitment led to the connections that make this Jazz series possible.

There is an inherent theatricality in the performance of Jazz, and a large number of outstanding Jazz musicians reside and work in and around The Valley Arts District. So, when Jazz scholar, Sanford Josephson approached Luna Stage about doing a series of Jazz concerts at the Theatre, it seemed a natural fit.  Mr. Josephson, the curator of the Music In The Moonlight series at Luna Stage, will make an effort to program artists and/or performances that are thematically linked to the theatrical productions on Luna’s Mainstage Theatre. The Theatre is currently producing a new play about the father of invention, Thomas Edison, so somehow Jazz and The American Songbook felt quite fitting. Ms. Partridge is a resident of South Orange, and future concerts will also feature musicians from the communities in and near The Valley Arts District.

Singing along to a karaoke machine on a dare is not the way most aspiring singers begin their career; however, this is how jazz singer Sarah Partridge got her start.  While enjoying a  successful and busy career as an actress, Ms. Partridge went to the Improv in Los Angeles with friends, to enjoy a night out.  A karaoke contest began and her chums urged her to participate,  just for fun.  Ms. Partridge, a jazz enthusiast, reluctantly agreed and eventually found an “elevators only” version of  Summertime.  Her beautiful, rich voice captivated an L.A. booker, who assumed that she was a professional jazz  singer.  Before she could say “help” she found herself  billed as the featured vocalist in a live jazz salute. This was not  an easy accomplishment considering that she knew only  ten songs all the way through. Yet, she was a smashing  success and hasn’t taken a backward step from that evening on.

Ms. Partridge has been spotted entertaining audiences at many notable venues such as New York’s Knickerbocker Bar & Grill, The Jazz Standard and the Algonquin Hotel’s Oak Room.  In New Jersey, she regularly appears at such well-known Jazz clubs as Shanghai Jazz in Madison and Trumpets in Montclair.  Her debut CD, I’ll Be Easy To Find continues to get considerable airplay, nationwide.  It received excellent reviews, including in the industry’s barometer, Billboard Magazine.  Her second CD Blame It On My Youth was released in 2004. In July 2006 she was named a ‘GMA Breakout Artist’ by Good Morning America and Tony Perkins of GMA said, “Sarah Partridge owns a great voice.  Her enthusiasm brings new life to some old classics.  They don’t write them like this anymore, and very few can sing them like Sarah does.”

Allen Farnham has been active in the New York City Jazz scene as a pianist, composer/arranger, producer and teacher since the early 1980′s.  He has performed and/or recorded with Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Eddie Henderson, Frank Wess, Tom Harrell, Arthur Blythe, Special EFX, the John Fedchock NY Big Band, and Charlie Byrd.  He has also accompanied a wide range of vocalists, including Mel Torme, Ernestine Anderson, Mark Murphy, Liza Minnelli, Susannah McCorkle, Roseanna Vitro, and Helen Merrill.

A graduate of the Oberlin Music Conservatory, Mr. Farnham has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment For The Arts and the Meet The Composer Foundation.  He also holds a Master of Music Degree in Jazz Composition and Arranging from William Paterson University and  has been commissioned to write works for the CUG Orchestra (Nagoya, Japan), NPO Glovill (Tokyo), the RIAS Big Band, and the Englewinds Chamber Ensemble.  He is presently an adjunct faculty member of the jazz department at New Jersey City University, Jersey City, New Jersey.

Series Curator Sanford Josephson is the author of Jazz Notes: Interviews Across the Generations (Praeger/ABC-Clio).  He has written extensively about jazz musicians in a variety of publications ranging from the New York Daily News to American Way Magazine.  He currently writes the “Big Band in the Sky” column for Jersey Jazz Magazine. Josephson is also director of marketing and public relations for the Matheny Medical and Educational Center, a special hospital and educational facility in Peapack, NJ, for children and adults with medically complex developmental disabilities.  He is a member of the New Jersey Jazz Society, the Jazz Journalists Association and the Duke Ellington Society and is on the Board of Directors of the Healthcare Planning & Marketing Society of New Jersey and the New Jersey Advertising Club.

He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO, and lives in West Orange, NJ, with his wife, Linda, and dog, Onyx.

For information on Jazz And The American Songbook, and all other events and programs at Luna Stage, visit the company website: www.lunastage.org.  Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052. 973-395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available.