LUNA STAGE THEATRE COMPANY
Run Time is 2 hours and 45 minutes with one ten-minute intermission.
Ari Laura Kreith, Artistic Director
Liz Cesario, Managing Director
Luna Stage develops and produces vibrant plays about local and global experiences. We bring communities together for artistic events that spark conventions and create understanding and change. Firmly rooted in New Jersey's Valley Arts District - a crossroads of cultures - we celebrate the diverse voices that surround us. As producer, innovator, and educator, we are dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation and nurturing the next generation of audiences and artists.
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As a small non-profit theatre, we depend on ticket sales to support our productions and programs. If you can purchase a full-price ticket, please do so. We can only continue this work with your support. We are also deeply committed to equity and to ensuring that our entire community has access to live theatre and arts education. Our sliding scale ensures that everyone can experience theatre magic!
Set Design Christopher & Justin Swader
Lighting Design Cameron Filepas
Costume Design Deborah Caney
Sound Design Megan Culley
Stage Manager Michele Correggio*
Assistant Director Antu Yacob
Production Coordinator Courtney Labossiere
Fight Choreographer Dalton Gorden
Intimacy Director Stephanie Vanhuss
Dramaturgy Tracie Morrison ,"-./&#$-0'1#*22
Master Electrician Aiden Mitchel
Assistant Stage Manager Lisette Vega
Props Coordinator & Board Operator Sam Fellman
Assistant Costume Design & Wardrobe Supervisor Bria Johnson
Scenic Painter Ashely Basile
Front of House Sarah Gorden, Ashley Jordyn
Isabel Pierone, Brielle Raddi
Photographer Valerie Terranova, Stephanie Gamba
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theatre, Luna Stage Company, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
1859: Prince George’s County, MD. Lower Marlboro Ballard Tobacco Plantation near the Patuxent River.
1861: Alexandria County, VA. Bussey Store
1864: Georgia. Cotton Plantation not far from Atlanta
1865: Freedman’s Bureau Office in Atlanta Canada, just beyond the New York border
1870: Montgomery County, MD. Washington Family Farm
“Help Me To Find My People.”
Special Thanks
Ned Coulter, Nathan Darrow, Kara F Green, Toussaint JeanLouis, Chantal Jean-Pierre, Logan Kovach, Steven E. Lawler, Gabriel Lawrence, & Myxolydia Tyler
To those millions of enslaved people in the United States who endured and continue to endure the residue of that which set out to destroy our families. - Dedication of the play by Nikkole
Salter“Why does the slave ever love?
Why allow the tendrils of the heart to twine around objects which may at any moment be wrenched away by the hands of violence?”
- Harriet JacobsIn the midst of the most unspeakable horrors that the institution of slavery inflicted on the bodies, minds, and souls of the enslaved, the audacity to love and be loved was a radical act. A defiance against a practice that attempted to strip them entirely of their humanity. But the enslaved still loved. They made love. They created families. They found moments of joy. And in spite of all the insurmountable odds, they survived! In this spirit, TORN ASUNDER tells a story of resilience, of family, of survival and the undeniable force of love.
Special thank you to Nikkole Salter for writing this extraordinary play and entrusting me to tell its story. To Antu Yacob for her invaluable support & contribution to this process. To the staff at Luna Stage: Ari, Liz, Sarah, Courtney for making this production a reality. To the best stage manager, Michele Correggio for holding us down. The amazing design team & Crew: “The Brothers”
Christopher & Justin, Cameron, Megan, Sam, Deborah, Dalton, Stephanie, Bria & Lisette. And to my amazing cast: Kara, Brittany, David, LeVane, Steven and Mark. It takes a village to direct a play. I am eternally grateful.
- Lisa StrumLisa Strum (Director) Actor: Death of a Salesman, Broadway. King Lear & Sound of Music, Utah Shakespeare Festival. Directing Credits: BLKS, University of Iowa; Intimate Apparel, Oklahoma State University; BALTIMORE, Ramapo College (Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Award); SWEAT, FOR COLORED GIRLS…, FLYIN’ WEST, Five Towns College (Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Awards); FALL, Ensemble Studio Theatre. Awards: Finalist, Doric Wilson Playwright Award; Recipient of the Djerassi Resident Artists Program; New York Innovative Theatre Award Nomination, Broadway World Best Actress Award, FENCES.
Antu Yacob (Assistant Director) Antu Yacob was born in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia and raised in the U.S. She is an actor, playwright, filmmaker and producer. Her film Love in Submission screened in Full Spectrum Features’ collection: Our Right to Gaze: Black Film Identities and numerous festivals including New York African Film Festival, Women of the Lens and Black Muslim Girl Fly Festival (Honorable Mention). Her onscreen credits include Inventing Anna, Night Comes On, The Other Two, Daredevil, Gypsy, Law & Order: SVU, Adieu Lacan and Signs of Aging. Her plays have premiered at Kampala International Theatre Festival, United Solo Theatre Festival, the Symposium on African Global Migration, Project Y Theatre, Theatre167 and Miles Square Theatre. Onstage credits include work with The Fire This Time Festival, American Slavery Project, Primary Stages, Crossroads Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Luna Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Philadelphia Theatre Co, Mixed Blood Theatre and Pangea World Theatre. MFA: Acting, Rutgers University.
Christopher & Justin Swader (Scenic Designers): Luna Stage: Roan @ the Gates, Pirira, The Man in Room 306, Tranquil, This Wonderful World, King of the Mountains, The Brothers Size, The Tall Girls, A Perfect Ganesh. Previous designs with: Dallas Theater Center, Two River Theatre, Everyman Theatre, Miami New Drama, Resident Ensemble Players, Tectonic Theater Project, Dorset Theatre Festival, The New Victory Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Lincoln Center Education, York Theatre Company, INTAR, SpeakEasy Stage Company, Kitchen Theatre Company, Penguin Rep, Luna Stage, Mason Holdings, IBEX Puppetry, Trusty Sidekick, A$AP Rocky, Sotheby’s, Big Apple Circus, National Geographic. Lucille Lortel nomination, Henry Hewes nominations, AUDELCO, IRNE & Carbonell Awards. www.cjswaderdesign.com
Cameron Filepas (Lighting Designer) is a NJ/ NYC based lighting designer for theatre and dance. Recent design credits: The Last Match (White Eagle Hall), Richard II (Luna Stage), Crimes of the Heart (FDU), Fastened To The Moon/ Love Sex & Real Estate (Chain Theatre), Camp Rock The Musical (Theatre Row), The Marvelous Wonderettes (NEXTstage REP), Grease (Axelrod PAC), The Giant Void in My Soul (Luna Stage), Meteor Shower (Centenary Stage Company), First Date (FDU), A Bronx Tale (Axelrod PAC), The House Where Nobody Lives (Chain Theatre), Pass Over (Luna Stage). Recent assistant credits: Limon Dance Company Arizona Tour, Queens Girl In The World (Abingdon Theatre Company), A Midsummer Night's Dream (American Repertory Ballet), Into The Woods (New York Film Academy), NEXTsteps (The Washington Ballet), Fandango Gala (Hole In the Wall Gang Camp). Cameron is a graduate from Montclair State University where he received a BFA in Lighting Design.
Deborah Caney (Costume Designer) Is thrilled to design the costumes for Nikkole Salter’s Torn Asunder at Luna Stage. This is the 4th Nikkole Salter play she has designed, and her 35th production with Luna Stage. She has been designing costumes at Luna Stage since 2008, her last production being The Giant Void In My Soul, directed by Rajesh Bose. Other recent credits include: The Chamber Opera, The Beautiful Bridegroom, directed by Karen Driscoll at The Alexander Kasser Theater; Ain’t Misbehavin’ directed by 2019 TONY Award Winner André DeShields at NJPAC and Crossroads Theatre Co; Look What A Wonder, written and directed by Walter Robinson at Martha’s Vineyard Performing Arts Center.
Megan Culley (Sound Designer) - Selected Design: Antigone (Cleveland Play House); The Loophole (The Public Theater); Holmes & Watson Apt. 2B (KCRep); Grounded/Hurricane Diane; (Dobama Theater); Terminus (New York Theatre Workshop); 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (ACT of CT); Stranger Sings! (Off-Broadway); Inanimate (The Flea Theater); The Last Match (B Street Theatre); Roan @ the Gates (Luna Stage); The Color Purple (Theatre Horizon). Selected Associate Design: A Christmas Carol with Jefferson Mays (Broadway); Flying Over Sunset (Broadway); The Secret Garden with Sierra Boggess (Center Theatre Group); for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf (The Public Theater); The Old Man and the Old Moon (KCRep)
Sam Fellman (Prop Master & Board OP) (they/them) has been property master for a 2018 production of Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl, and has been assistant property master for a 2019 production of Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage. They have also been the stage manager for Shakespeare in the Woods’ summer 2022 season, and called cues for the shows Dracula and Snow Maiden at Synetic Theater in Arlington, VA. This is their first production at Luna Stage, and they’re excited and honored to be working with such a fantastic group!
Dalton Gorden (Fight Choreographer) is a fight choreographer for stage and screen, actor combatant, proud Equity member, and recent MA graduate of Montclair State University. He is trained and certified by Sordelet Inc. Select fight choreography credits include Endless Souls (Reelens Media), The Hood and the Hunted (Slashstorm Productions) Newsies (Ritz Theatre), and Noises Off (Wise Theatre). He is a 2nd Dan Black Belt in Tang Soo Do and trained at Nihon-Mishima University Karate Club in Mishima, Japan. He currently teaches stage combat at Luna Stage and previously taught with The Actor's Studio NYC, Marywood University, and University of Texas El Paso. daltongorden.com.
Stephanie Van Huss, (Intimacy Director) EdM, works as a professional intimacy choreographer, director and teaching artist throughout NJ and NY. She also serves as the Director of the New Jersey Center for Theatrical Intimacy (njtheatricalintimacy.org).
Michele Correggio (Stage Manager) graduated from Montclair State University in 2020 with her BFA in Stage Management. Previously with Luna Stage she has stage managed Richard II. She is the Production Coordinator for The Scranton Shakespeare Festival,and has recently stage managed their first pantomime Snow White and the Seven Scranton Miners.
Bria Johnson (Assistant Costume Designer & Wardrobe) was born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. She recently graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, Georgia, with a BFA in Fashion Design. Nearing graduation, she was one of the selected featured designers in the annual SCAD fashion show. Since graduating, she has worked on countless short films, music productions and a couple TV pilots. She believes that fashion can be a form of storytelling itself, outwardly displaying an individual’s emotional, psychological, or mental state of mind. Her goal is to be able to master the art of storytelling through fashion because your wardrobe is an outward tool to tell your personal story. She is excited about where her postgrad journey will take her and what more she will get to learn as an aspiring costume designer.
Kara F. Green (Hannah Louise Ballard) is a New York born actress and singersongwriter humbled to be working on Torn Asunder at Luna Stage. Theatre: 53% (Second Stage Theater), A Raisin In The Sun (Sharon Playhouse), Last Stop On Market Street (Atlantic Theater Company), The Hard Knock Lyfe (Theatre Row), A Deafening Silence: Pt. 1 (Symphony Space), Roommates (Wild Project), Mannequin Diaries (Urban Stages/The Liberty Center), Intimate Apparel, Hamlet (Theater at Monmouth). TV: “Bull.” Film: Marry Me (Universal Pictures), The Bill (Amazon Prime). Training: MFA from the Actors Studio Drama School.
David Roberts (Moses) David Roberts is a 1st Generation American Bronx-native who began in off-Broadway theatre and became a Winner of the AUDELCO award for Best Lead Actor in a Dramatic Play. His most recent features have been in HARLEM, BLUE BLOODS, FBI: MOST WANTED, DAREDEVIL, THE WU-TANG SERIES, and ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK. His poem “I Apologize Pt 1: The Rapper” interview/video hit over 10 million views on Facebook and is still climbing. He trained at the NY Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and is proud to be a part of this beautiful production of Torn Asunder. facebook.com/droberts504 instagram.com/iamdrobertsgroups associated with :Harlem Arts Alliance or Bronx Council of the Arts
Brittany Davis (Malinda) Brittany, an American actress from Brooklyn, NY, is excited to be making her Luna Stage debut. Previous credits include Rustin (Netflix), Glass Menagerie (Laura, Rep Stage) A Choir Girl from Philadelphia (Marian Anderson, Howard University). She received her BFA at Howard University and is honored to be a vessel for storytelling. Brittany is also thankful for the infinite support from her parents and sisters. www.brittanyadavis.com
Steven Makropoulos (John Bussey) Steven is an actor, singer and instrumentalist. Focusing on musicals, he has performed in regional/touring houses throughout the country including the regional premiere of "Fun Home" at Millbrook Playhouse and "Guys and Dolls" at Axelrod Playhouse. His next role will be King Julien with the touring company of "Madagascar: The Musical." TV: Investigation Discovery's "Pandora's Box" & "Homocide City: Charlotte". Steven's favorite instrument is the bass and loves playing for theme parks when he can! Instagram @StevenMakropoulos instagram
LeVane Harrington (Henry Washington) LeVane Harrington is an NYC based performer and hip hop artist. He so excited to be making his Luna debut in this piece. Recent: World Premiere of For Colored Boyz (Fulton), White Christmas (Fulton), Mamma Mia! (Cape Rep), The Color Purple (Plaza Theatrical), Cabaret (Argyle), The Glass Menagerie (Provincetown Theater). BLACK LIVES MATTER. Training: AMDA NYC Rep: FSE. Thanks to Mom, Dad, Mimi, Tiera, & MRK. Peace. IG: @levane_harrington195
Mark Hofmaier (Master James, Executor, Creditor, Union Soldier, Speculator, Freedman’s Bureau Agent Frenchman, Census Taker) Mark's recent credits include "Ed", the Father, in "Straight White Men" in Wellfleet, MA, and "Billy Flynn" in the 1926 play, "Chicago" in NYC. Mark's career spans a few years in regional theaters across the country, working with such luminaries as Kim Hunter, in "The Cocktail Hour", Stephanie Zimbalist, in "The Philadelphia Story", John Davidson, in "It's Only a Play", et.al. Mark is a founding member of The Philadelphia Theatre Company, and a member of two playwright driven theater companies in New York City. Mark and wife, Susanna Frazer, an actor and AD of The Morningside Players, are the proud parents of their working actor children, Luke and Tess.
Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith
Managing Director Liz Cesario
Managing Associate Dawn Pasquin
Director of Education
Company Administrator
Rachel Shapiro Cooper
Sarah Gorden
Office Administrator Ann Coughlin
Communications Intern Isabel Pierone
Career Accelerator Fellow
Literary Manager
Amoria Burks
Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin
Bookkeeper Jeff Rogers
Founding Artistic Director Jane Mandel
Learn more at https://www.lunastage.org/our-people
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Laura Amin (President)
Christopher Forno (Treasurer)
Danah Alexander
Debra Caplan
Rachel Grochowski
Dawn Stewart Harris
Gary Taylor
Raj Amin (Special Advisor)
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This list acknowledges donations since November 15, 2021. It is current as of January 30th, 2023. We offer apologies to anyone inadvertently omitted. If you notice a mistake, please let us know so we can make it right.
KIDS OUTDOOR THEATRE CAMPS (1-Week Sessions)
Each week is a brand new adventure as campers explore improvisation, acting, theatre games, collaborative storytelling, and playwrighting to create a unique performance!
July 10th - August 4th
TEEN SUMMER CONSERVATORY (4-Week Session)
Performers will hone their craft in acting, theatre movement, voice and improvisation, while rehearsing in a contemporary play. Theatre technicians will participate in design and work behind the scenes.
July 10- Aug 4
