New Luna Show: "Funky, Fierce and Fabulous"

Right now, actor and Luna Stage Theater Company Managing Director Mona Hennessy has a calendar full of upcoming Luna activities: the announcement of the regular second season of plays and the fall schedule of classes, the new season's free Kick Off Party on Saturday afternoon, Sept. 17, and two performances of “Picture Incomplete,” a “hit-em-hard, hit-em-fast” one-man musical show the evenings of Friday, Sept. 16 and Saturday, Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. 

The not for profit Luna Stage was founded in 1992 by actor, writer and artistic director Jane Mandel to present theater, nurture new plays and playwrights, and hold diverse classes for all ages. Long located in Montclair, Mandel and Hennessy’s hometown, the organization moved to a state of the art theater in the West Orange/Orange Valley Arts District in 2010. It has become a vital part of the larger community and enjoyed a highly successful first season. 

Kick Off Party

“We’re holding a Saturday afternoon, family geared open house ‘Kick Off Party' from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. with plenty of activities for kids — face painting, temporary tattoos, a popcorn machine, refreshments — and it’s all free,” Hennessy said about the Sept. 17 celebration. “We will be dedicating the ‘luminary’ inscribed bricks, part of our ongoing fundraising, and we are especially excited to have Michael Aquino and Deveito Garcia performing.” 

Singer, songwriter and actor Aquino is a familiar and beloved voice in the Luna chorus; he founded and directs the resident Indie Music Circus, has acted in Luna plays and led a rousing musical quartet at the Luna 2010 storytelling December holiday party, which starred renowned actor and Luna board member Frankie Faison. 

Fellow singer/songwriter Garcia presents "Spanglish Guajirobilly." Singing in English and Spanish, he blends the rural folkloric styles of Latin America with originals. Along the way, expect to hear USA roots music, blues, and some rockabilly and Doo Wop, too. 

The afternoon party is for all ages. 

“Picture Incomplete”

The Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16-17 performances will be the only presentation of the one-man musical show “Picture Incomplete,” with words and music by Montclair’s Michael Polese and starring recent transplant to Montclair, Trent Armand Kendall, who wrote the book. 

Kendall has extensive Broadway and Off Broadways credits in shows or revivals including “Into The Woods,” “Wizard of Oz," “Purlie," “Smokey Joe’s Café,” and, in London, “Five Guys Named Moe.” Early on, Kendall was enthralled by comedic storytellers such as George Carlin, Bill Cosby and Whoopi Goldberg.

“Picture Incomplete” brings together storytelling and music: “It's about a guy on the night of his 40^th birthday who has more questions than answers and because of some serious personal challenges and financial considerations, he must decide whether to return to St. Louis (feeling like a failure) or stay put in New York City, “ Kendall said, adding, “yes, it’s funny.”

After Luna, the show travels to New York. 

Fall Class Overview

Hennessy was excited to talk about Robin Irwin, the incoming director of education and community outreach. Irwin and her actor husband (currently in the “Addams Family”) traveled to both Luna and their home in Montclair from New York where Irwin appeared often on Broadway. 

“Irwin brings outstanding credentials as both an experienced actress and a teaching artist to our program,” Hennessy said. Among the faculty are many Montclair and West Orange based theater professionals including Erika Insana with “Story Theatre and Improv” for 7-10 year olds; Paul Murphy with “Improvisation for Young Artists and Adults”; Anne Timmins with “Playwriting for Adults”; and Ned Coulter with “Adult Acting.”  A full brochure may be downloaded from the Luna website. 

New Moon Reading Series

Luna’s upcoming season begins in Studio Luna’s 50-seat theater on Monday, October 3 with the New Moon Reading Series’ presentation and discussion of “Francoise” by Suzanne Trauth, a theater and acting professor at Montclair State University (MSU). With a $5 suggested donation, New Moon, under the directorship of Cheryl Katz, attracts theater professionals and theater lovers area wide to hear and comment on script in hand readings of new works. 

Last season, New Moon commissioned a play by Ben Clawson, “The Dangers of Electric Lighting.” The historic drama imagines the conflict between two very real life inventors; the West Orange based Thomas A. Edison and Nikola Tesla. It begins previews on Thursday, October 13 at 7:30 p.m. and has its official opening and party on Friday, October 21 at 8 p.m. 

Learn more about Luna Stage or call (973) 395-5551. Luna Stage is at 555 Valley Road in West Orange.