Archive for the ‘What’s New @ Luna’ Category
Letter Writers
We’d like to give a special thank you to KarinWritesDangerously for the following blog post referencing Luna’s Production of Vita and Virginia:
“What a wonderful evening! Compliments of Nancy, my wonderful friend and writing buddy, I sat in on the dress rehearsal of a new local production of Vita and Virginia, a play by Eileen Atkins. It’s being mounted by Luna Stage, a local theatre group — and it was terrific! Far better than the show I saw some years ago in Manhattan. What amazing talent abounds: Writers, actresses and actors, directors — there are so many creative people with stories to tell and gifts to share.
Vita and Virginia is adapted from the correspondence of the great writer Virginia Woolf and her intimate friend, Vita Sackville-West. The entire show consists of two women talking; the only stage props are two desks piled with books and pens, a few chairs, and shawls. And yet nothing more is needed to conjure up a complex and fascinating friendship — and a bygone world.
Letter writing: what a lost art it is! Listening to the words Virginia and Vita wrote each other come alive on stage made me realize how much we’ve lost in the ways we communicate today. How can an email compare with a letter written by hand with pen and ink and delivered via the post? I’ve tried to remember the last time I received a real, honest-to-goodness letter from someone. And you know what? I’m not sure.
But it’s surely no accident that Virginia Woolf was not just a gifted novelist and critic, but also a gifted composer of letters. Finding ways to be witty and amusing, to recreate one’s day for someone else, to describe the people one met and the places one visited — all of this has to be superb training for the writer’s eye and ear.
I wonder if writing a letter about one of my characters to another character would reveal anything of interest? I think I’m going to try it and find out. For more inspiration and festive ideas about writing letters and postcards, be sure to visit this wonderful site: Vivasnailmail.com. And write on!”
‘Vita and Virginia’ at the West Orange Library!
Join us at the West Orange Library on Monday, October 1st at 7pm for a special sneak peak of the first show of our 2012-2013 season, Vita and Virgina.
ETHEL WATERS Production Cancelled
The Producers of the ETHEL WATERS show that was supposed to be brought to Luna Stage this month have cancelled the production. Luna Stage had agreed to rent our theatre space for the piece because we thought it would be a great show and we wanted to give our audiences a chance to see it before it moved on to commercial production.
The reasons for the cancellation have nothing to do with Luna, but apparently with some internal contractual concerns among the producing parties.
We apologize to anyone who was looking forward to seeing the show.
Please do join us for our production season, which begins at the end of September.
Summer Music “Fusion Fest” this July!
Please Join Us The Weekend Of July 28th and 29th
Luna Stage Presents the first annual Luna Fusion Festival: The Heart and Soul of Rock and Jazz
featuring Gregg Bendian’s Mahavishnu Project, and the debut of EDDY’S CHEMISTRY SET: The music of Frank Zappa performed by Ed Palermo’s Little Big Band
Swing by the last weekend in July to celebrate the passion, energy, and virtuosity of fusion’s most celebrated composers- and bring the kids for a sneak peek behind the music!
Our festival kicks off Saturday, July 28th at 3 PM with a free children’s workshop that will educate, entertain, and inspire.
Saturday evening at 8 PM, internationally renowned jazz percussionist Gregg Bendian (Pat Metheny, Ornette Coleman, John Zorn ) will electrify the night as The Mahavishnu Project performs classic compositions from Billy Cobham, John McLaughlin, and Jan Hammer.
Sunday evening at 7 PM, July 29th, return to Luna for an acoustic adventure as alto saxophonist Ed Palermo (Tony Bennett, Tito Puente, Lena Horne) assembles a nine-piece ensemble to explore the timeless tunes of Frank Zappa.
All daytime events are Free! Admission for evening concerts: $20 for Adults, $15 for Students (w/ID).
Please visit our Luna Fusion Festival webpage for more information.
The Physics of Betrayal Energize ‘Copenhagen’
Excited to see Copenhagen on stage at Luna? Want a more in-depth look at the making of the show? Read more about Director James Glossman’s motivation in Peter Filichia’s Star Ledger article The Physics of Betrayal Energize ‘Copenhagen’.
Stand-Up Comedy Encores at Luna!
Have you ever wanted to see quality stand-up comedy without having to go to some skeevy nightclub with an exorbitant entrance fee and mandatory two drink minimum? And that schlep to the city, train fare is expensive, and parking is a nightmare. Well Luna Stage, now located in the heart of The Valley Arts District of West Orange has launched a comedy series this season.
The idea was conceived by Sahoua Gboizo, the Box Office Manager at Luna Stage. Gboizo, who has been with Luna Stage for two years, has brought a fresh new perspective to the theatre. “These comedy nights bring people to the theatre who wouldn’t necessarily be there, people of all different ages, colors and socioeconomic statuses.”
The shows are only $10, unlike comedy clubs in the city who charge at least $20 in entrance fees and even more for drinks. The shows help to connect with the community, get them interested in Luna Stage’s mainstage productions, and get their feet wet if this is their first time at the theatre. For Gboizo the idea was a no brainer, “I love to laugh, I love comedy, and most people feel the same…”
The comedians are well established, and have been featured on Comedy Central, MTV and NBC, and many have performed at big name clubs in the city, like Caroline’s on Broadway. Hosted by Michael Che, one Comedy Central’s 2011 “Comics to Watch”, the lineup this week includes Mike Brown, Miguel Dalmau, Mara Herron, Kevin Joseph Garifo, The Lucas Bros, and Neruda Williams. The show is this Thursday 3/29 at 8pm, and there are plenty more to come this summer. If you’re in need of an inexpensive night out and a good laugh, Luna Stage is the place to go.
Written for Baristanet by Luna Intern, Margot Galant Levinson.
Click here to read more about the show…
Spotlight on Deb Caney
Deb Caney is Luna’s resident costume designer for the 2011-2012 season.
Deborah Caney has been a professional costume designer for over 20 years. She has designed costumes at regional theaters all over the country, off Broadway and been an Associate costume designer for Broadway. She has designed costumes for big lavish musicals, period dramas, Shakespeare plays and modern comedies.
Originally, Deborah studied studio art. She has a fine arts degree from Wesleyan University and has studied painting, drawing and print making in schools in the South of France and Florence, Italy. She has always loved fashion and fabrics and has studied fashion design at The Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York. However, she has always had a passion for theater fostered by parents who took her to Broadway shows, both extravagant musicals and challenging dramas, from an early age. So, after college she attended Mason Gross School of The Arts, Rutgers University where she received an MFA in costume design.
For Deborah, theater is most exciting and fulfilling when a group of artists come together to create an artistic whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Rather than painting alone in a studio, it’s much more meaningful to be part of a collaborative art. Costume design for her, is a way to help make the director’s vision, come to life. Her work adds layers to the actors’ performance, and helps the audience visualize the world of the play.
Another joy from her work is research. She loves delving into historical research, and discovering exactly what people wore in different eras. Research is the basis of all of her work, whether the play is set in the 17th C. or the 1980’s. It’s fascinating to look at the different layers of clothing from period underwear and corsets to hats and shoes. Class differences also define the look and style of the character in a play. All of this is taken into account when she designs her costumes.
Deborah is very proud to be the costume designer in residence for Luna Stage. Working with Luna is especially satisfying artistically. She gets the pleasure of collaborating with other dedicated artists as well as the chance to work on exciting new plays. She enjoys the opportunity to go from a complex period drama such as Ben Clawson’s The Dangers Of Electric Lighting, to the bright colored fun of Mi Casa Tu Casa.
Deborah has two beautiful children, Zoe, 9 and Jacob, 7, who, are her other “job”. Her kids, love watching Mommy draw her designs, and often sit at the table beside her and draw as well. Her husband, Derek, makes her career possible, by being astoundingly supportive of her desire to be a professional working artist.
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GREAT COSTUME REVIEWS:
Review of Ain’t Misbehavin’ in NY Times
Review of The Heiress in NY Times
HIGHLIGHTS OF CANEY’S COSTUME WORK:
A costume sketch for Thomas Edison in Luna's production of "The Dangers of Electric Lighting"
Caney's Costumes for "Ain't Misbehavin'" at Crossroads Theatre
The costume sketch...
...the costume!
The costume sketch...
...the costume!
BE AN UNDERWRITING SUPPORTER FOR OUR KING LEAR BENEFIT
We are reaching out to Luna’s wonderful supporters and asking that you invest even further in our future. Please consider being an underwriting supporter for our King Lear benefit this January. For $500 you will be recognized for the rest of the season in a special way in all of our programs, and will be listed among all the Underwriting Supporters in the souvenir program for the Lear benefit.
Just order your tickets for the reading and reception and add the amount above the ticket costs as a donation to Luna. It will register in our system as a $500 order and we will add your name to our Underwriting Supporters.
Thanks so much!
$10,000 Grant Awarded to Luna!
Luna Stage is thrilled to announce that we recently received a $10,000 grant from the Horizon Foundation to help expand our Education and Community Outreach programming (including in-school residencies, after school and Saturday student programs, student matinees, and the development of a new Teen Company)!
Read more: http://westorange.patch.com/articles/10-000-grant-awarded-to-luna-stage.
