(WEST ORANGE, NJ) --  Luna Stage has launched the Valley Ambassador Ticket program in advance of the final weekend of their critically-acclaimed production of Pass Over, offering $5 tickets to underserved audiences for all 2020 productions on Luna’s MainStage. Underwritten by Valley National Bank, this initiative will ensure that tickets to professional regional theatre are accessible to all.

“As a community-engaged arts organization, we believe that artistic engagement is a civic right, and we are dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation,” says Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith. “We are grateful for the generosity of Valley National Bank in supporting this endeavor, and allowing us to better serve our audiences.”

Luna’s current production of Antoinette Nwandu’s Pass Over closes this Sunday, after extending an extra week due to audience and critical acclaim. Set in what Nwandu describes as “a present-day ghetto, but it’s also a plantation, and it’s also Egypt, a city built by slaves.”  

The Valley Ambassador Ticket program will also underwrite fifty $5 community tickets for Shruti Gupta Can Totally Deal, a Bollywood-inspired romantic comedy that runs April 16-May 17. More info on the Community Ambassador Ticket program is available on Luna’s website, www.lunastage.org.

Luna offers many community programs including free summer camps, classes for kids and adults, touring bilingual plays for youth, and commissioned site-specific work inspired by local stories.

The theatre is located in West Orange’s Valley Arts District, close to Montclair, Maplewood, South Orange, Livingston, Verona, Orange, Short Hills and Millburn. To learn more about Luna Stage’s 2019-2020 MainStage season, their American Voices series, pre- and post-show events, film screenings, interactive activities, and Summer Teen Conservatory classes, visit www.LunaStage.org.

Antoinette Nwandu’s award-winning and controversial play Pass Over is running and continues through March 8.  Luna will offer $5 tickets to partners in Luna’s surrounding neighborhoods, making this critically acclaimed production’s extension week audience the first beneficiaries of the Valley Ambassador Ticket Program.

Luna Stage is dedicated to bringing communities together for artistic events that spark conversations and create understanding and change. Firmly rooted in New Jersey’s Valley Arts District – a crossroads of cultures – Luna celebrates the diverse voices that surround us. Their educational programming is designed to eliminate barriers to participation and nurture the next generation of audiences and artists.

Luna’s classes for children and adults, and its developmental programs for early career artists, inspire community members to nurture their own creativity and vision.

Luna Stage has contributed to the development of over 80 new works for the stage, earning a reputation for artistic excellence. Some of those plays have gone on to productions in New York City and beyond. Luna’s unique approach to producing, as well as the work itself, fosters an environment of inclusivity, understanding, and infinite possibility.