Our Staff

JANE MANDEL
Founder and Artistic Director

Jane Mandel is the Founder and Artistic Director of Luna Stage.  She holds an MFA from New York University and has had a career in the theatre as actress, director, teacher and producer.  She developed and directed Luna Stage’s first production, In the Name of the Woman, which explores women’s rituals and myths from ancient times and fast-forwards through history; and the critically acclaimed “We don’t have enough sugar for the public,” which is an exploration of racism based on people’s personal stories.  She is the creator of The American Project, an interactive theatre piece for middle and high school students that asks the question “What does it mean to be an American?”  At Luna, she has also directed Reckless, Rosa Loses Her Face, Burying Fiona, The Queen of Thebes, Rapture, Friends & Relations, The Other Side of Newark, Ghosts, The Normals, Little Beasts and Fair and Decent.  She has appeared onstage in Fancies and Immoral Imperatives.

You can contact Jane via email at jane.mandel@lunastage.org or by phone at (973) 395-5551 ext. 203.

JOHN PENN LEWIS
Managing Director

John Penn Lewis’ career includes extensive work in both the theater and the retail and hospitality industries. His business management resume includes working for leaders in several fields, including Starbucks Coffee Co. and Novotel Hotels. As an arts administrator, he served as the Executive Director for both the Park Performing Arts Center and the world-famous children’s educational theater company, The Shoestring Players. He also started his own production company, working with major Pharmaceutical companies on training events for their sales staffs.

Mr. Lewis majored in theater at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon where he studied Acting and Directing with Jack Leigh Featheringill. Moving to NYC, he continued his studies at the H.B. Studios. As an actor, Mr. Lewis has performed all across America. He also sang with NY City Opera for three seasons. Directing: Worked with Stephen Pickover (Metropolitan Opera) on the direction of Where or When. Regionally, A Thousand Cranes, The Wager, Little Foxes, Loot, Robert Patrick’s Cheap Theatricks, and Hansel and Gretel. Producer: Rick Sordelet’s Buried Treasure, A series of up-dated classics at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Scapin, King Stag, Servant of Two Masters).

You can contact John via email at john.lewis@lunastage.org or by phone at (973) 395-5551 ext. 207.

CHERYL KATZ
Assoc. Artistic Director / Dir. of Play Development

Cheryl Katz has been the Director of Play Development at Luna Stage since 2003. During her time at Luna, she has contributed to the development of over fifty new works for the stage and has directed the world premieres of Mercy and The Firefly by Amy Hartman, The Fastest Woman Alive by Karen Sunde, and all three Luna productions of The Man In Room 306 by Craig Alan Edwards (1995 and 2008 in New Jersey, 2010 in New York). Prior to her position at Luna, Cheryl developed and directed over thirty new plays in the New York area and worked as a producer, administrator and special projects manager for LaMama E.T.C., Under One Roof, Electronic Arts Intermix, Arts International and The School of Hard Knocks. She has worked in script development for The Young Playwrights Festival, The O’Neill Theatre Conference and The Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey and is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
You can contact Cheryl via email at cheryl.katz@lunastage.org or by phone at (973) 395-5551 ext. 204.

LIZ CESARIO
Production Manager

You can contact Liz via email at liz.cesario@lunastage.org or by phone at (973) 395-5551.

MARCIA MANDEL
Administrative Assistant

Marcia worked for the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) in Albany, NY, where she was hired to begin the Print and Project Management Service, serving school districts with graphic design and printing services. After 22-1/2 years, Marcia retired to move to this area to be with her partner of six years, Elaine. She’s the mother of two children and grandmother of two beautiful granddaughters.

You can contact Marcia via email at marcia.mandel@lunastage.org or by phone at (973) 395-5551.

Our Support System

ROBIN IRWIN, Education and Outreach Consultant

NETI BRANT, Front of House Coordinator

MELISSA TOOMEY, Administrative Intern