Luna Stage Announces Collaboration With Ping Chong + Co, And STORY CIRCLES

Luna Stage has announced a year-long collaboration with the acclaimed theatre group Ping Chong + Company, inspired by the people, the stories, and the history of the City of Orange.

The project launches in July with two free Virtual Story Circles on Saturday, July 11 at 11 am and Wednesday, July 29 at 4 pm, open to residents of Orange as well as past residents and those with a deep connection to the community. Each 75-minute Story Circle welcomes 10 participants who will share, listen, and learn about their individual and collective relationships to Orange through a guided storytelling process.

The Story Circles will be facilitated by Turron Kofi Alleyne, Director of Community Engagement at Luna Stage and a resident of Orange; Christina Bixland, Education Director of Ping Chong + Company who lives in West Orange; and Kenya Bullock, Founder & Artistic Director of Tha Block Theatre Company in Trenton.

Registration for Story Circles is open to Orange residents and former residents ages 18+, but interested younger participants may contact Luna with guardian permission. Reservations are available on Ovationtix for the July 11th and July 29th events.

Over the course of the next year, Luna and Ping Chong will develop and present a new community-based project, created with and performed by individuals living in Orange, culminating in a spring 2021 performance. The Story Circles will launch the two companies' collaborative process and ground this future theatrical work, amplifying and celebrating the voices of the Orange community. Stories shared in the Story Circles will not be used as material for later stages of the project but will begin a process of meaningful community dialogue and connection.

A second phase of the collaboration will begin in the Fall, when Luna Stage and Ping Chong + Company will gather a group of Orange residents interested in sharing their stories more publically, as part of the ultimate performance project. People of all ages, backgrounds, ages, professions, experiences and identities will be invited to apply. Selected applicants will participate in an intensive interview process as groundwork for the script, to be performed by the storytellers themselves.

In their collaboration's final phase, Luna Stage and Ping Chong + Company will rehearse and present a spring 2021 performance: live or virtual, depending on current public health guidelines. The performance will reflect on the known and hidden histories of Orange, showcasing real-life stories from the community told by the community members themselves. These narratives will reflect a wide range of Orange's population, illuminating the area's rich diversity and unique character. At its core, this project aims to investigate and celebrate the local history surrounding Luna Stage, centering Orange residents throughout development and performance.

Further information about this collaboration and registration for Story Circles is available at lunastage.org.