Interview: Houses on the Moon Celebrates 25 Years of Amplifying Urgent Stories

When Houses on the Moon Theater Company was founded 25 years ago, the company set out with a simple mission, which was to tell deeply human stories that too often go unheard. A quarter century later, that mission has never wavered. Instead, it has become the foundation for an extraordinary body of work that has traveled far beyond traditional theater spaces. Productions have been staged in schools, hospitals, law schools, conferences, community centers, and even internationally, always with the goal of fostering conversation, empathy, and action.

For Co-Founder and Artistic Director Emily Joy Weiner, longevity has never been about chasing trends or building a conventional theater company. “I always say, because it’s true, that what I’m most proud of is staying on our mission,” Weiner states. “Knowing from the very beginning what we wanted to do, who we were, what we believed—at the time—our strengths were, none of that has changed. So we really haven’t strayed from the core purpose of establishing this organization.”

She credits that consistency to the remarkable community that has grown alongside the company. “I’m most proud of the community of people involved,” she says. “An incredible eclectic family of artists that we’ve been working with and that has grown and stayed with us. Also, the supporters and audiences that believe in what we do and expect to experience something that's authentic.”

That commitment was on full display earlier this month when Houses on the Moon presented a benefit reading of TARA’S CROSSING, Jeffrey Solomon's groundbreaking play about a transgender woman seeking asylum in the United States, at New York City’s at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center as part of its House Party series. More than twenty years after its premiere, the work remains startlingly relevant.

For Weiner, that isn’t by accident. “Our mission hasn’t changed,” she explains. “There’s wonderful things about that, and there’s also a lot of not so great things about that, that the stories that we’ve been telling still need to be told.”

She has watched the broader theater landscape embrace language that Houses on the Moon has been using since its earliest days. “One thing I’ve noticed is a lot of the language that we’ve always used is now used more and more and more,” she points out. “For example, ‘amplifying’ has become a word that is everywhere because the world needs to be expressing themselves, listening to other people, and hopefully learning from each other. That’s how we are able to build our empathy tools.”

The organization’s productions begin not with a script, but with listening. “Our mission from the beginning has always been the work that we’re going to choose to create needs to come from a demonstrated need,” Weiner illuminates. “For it to be a Houses on the Moon project, it needs to be built with community partnership.”

That process includes interviews, storytelling workshops, collaboration with advocacy organizations, and extensive conversations with people who have lived the experiences being portrayed. “When you’re creating something that’s inspired by a real person or real people,” Weiner says, “it’s impossible, if you do it well, it’s impossible that it’s not going to be a deeply human story.”

Managing Director Meghan Dunne says those collaborations extend well beyond research. “We’re working with artists who come from the communities that we are telling stories about, who have these lived experiences that they can then bring into the fabric of the work,” Dunne adds. “It makes the work more resonant with the people who are experiencing it.”

Community partnerships also ensure that every production is grounded in authenticity. “We have these extraordinary partners,” Weiner continues, “that support the work and help us develop the work from the beginning.”

Those partnerships have helped shape some of the company's most celebrated productions. One example began with a storytelling workshop following the Sandy Hook tragedy. Rather than focusing solely on one event, Houses on the Moon invited people whose lives had been affected by gun violence to share their experiences. Out of those conversations emerged GUN COUNTRY. But another story soon revealed itself.

Two workshop participants, one who had served 17 years in prison after committing manslaughter as a teenager and another whose son had been killed by gun violence, slowly formed an unlikely bond. “That inspired us,” Weiner recalls, “to create a new play inspired by that relationship of two people seeing and hearing each other.”

The result became THE ASSIGNMENT, a production that moved audiences ranging from students to formerly incarcerated individuals. “There was a child who was so moved by that experience that he took himself out of his gang,” says Weiner.

That emphasis on impact beyond applause may be what distinguishes Houses on the Moon most. “I’ve often felt that the conversation after is the most important part,” Weiner says of the company’s signature post-show discussions. “It’s vital.”

She recalls a performance of DE NOVO, based on the true story of a Guatemalan teenager murdered after being deported from the United States. Following a performance at Elmhurst Hospital, one audience member recognized her grandson’s experience in the play. “She said, ‘This is my grandson’s story. Oh my God, I need help,’” Weiner remembers. A city councilmember attending the talkback immediately connected her with legal assistance. “That’s something that wouldn’t have happened if we were sitting in a 99-seat theater in Manhattan because those families wouldn’t have come.”

The September installment will revisit stories from GUN COUNTRY, TRANSFORMATION, and SHARED SENTENCES, while the November event will offer audiences a first look at SKIN TO SKIN, a new play exploring Black maternal health that will receive its full production next spring.

Looking ahead, neither Weiner nor Dunne sees Houses on the Moon becoming something fundamentally different. “I hope,” Weiner says simply, “that the stories and voices that need to be heard and told the most are what’s happening.”

Dunne shares that optimism. “There are more artists and more companies doing this kind of work now,” she adds. “I don’t see us as being in competition with other theater companies. The more people that are doing it, you feel like there’s more people out there who care about this.”

For Advisory Board member Susan Casserly Griffin, the company’s greatest strength may be found in its remarkable catalogue of plays, many of which remain as relevant today as when they premiered. “When we look at a piece like TARA’S CROSSING, the fact that that story today is as relevant, important, and urgent as it was in 2004 speaks volumes,” Griffin says. “The rest of the back catalog has similar kinds of relevant stories.”

For Houses on the Moon, that's the goal. “It’s getting the stories out there,” Weiner explains. “These are the stories that need to be shared and heard and felt as widely as possible.”

For more information about the upcoming performances and to join Houses on the Moon’s community, please visit www.HousesOnTheMoon.org.

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