(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage is thrilled to announce the National Premiere of A Trojan Woman, a searing solo performance adapted from Euripides by Maplewood resident Sara Farrington, directed by Meghan Finn and starring Drita Kabashi. Performances run from March 15-24, 2024.
Commissioned by the The Interbalkan Festival of Ancient Drama, the play recently premiered at Theatro Attikou Aldous/Katina Paxinou Attica Grove Theater in Greece. As Farrington said, “We we had the great privilege of performing this piece as Euripides did, in an open air amphitheater in Athens.”
A Trojan Woman comes to Luna for a two-week run from March 15-24. It plays Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm & 8:00pm, and Sundays at 3:00pm, with special midweek performances Monday March 18 at 8:00pm and an added matinee on Thursday, March 21 at 1:00pm. Tickets are $10-$40 at lunastage.org/trojanwoman.
Farrington adapted Euripides’ classic tragedy into a searing contemporary solo performanc. In a flash of modern warfare (Ukraine? Afghanistan? Vietnam? Poland? Hiroshima? Israel? Gaza?), a mother loses her child. She becomes a Trojan woman, compelled to embody every iconic character in Euripides’ classic play.
“I love the Greek tragedies and playwrights so much,” said playwright Farrington. Euripides’ The Trojan Women “was the first ever anti-war play. Everything Euripides was protesting in 415 BC still needs protesting now.”
“My version, A Trojan Woman, exists inside an act of modern warfare, specifically, an early moment in the Russian war against Ukraine that affected me deeply. Tetiana Perebyinis, 43 and her two kids, Mykyta, 18 and Alisa, 9, were killed as they fled on foot from their suburb of Irpin to Kyiv. The moment was photographed by Lynsey Addario of The New York Times and came to represent Russian brutality upon Ukrainian civilians,” said Farrington. “The ancient Greek part of this play exists inside that moment of attack and the performer's realization of it.”
A Trojan Woman performs in Luna’s intimate 50-seat studio theatre. It is directed by Meghan Finn, stars Drita Kabashi, and features lighting design by David Heguy. It is produced in assocition with TankNYC.
Post Play Conversations: Stay after the show on Monday, March 18th for a talkback with Montclair State University Professor Mary C. English!
Mary C. English is Professor and Department Chair of Classics and General Humanities at Montclair State University where she teaches Latin and Greek at all levels as well as courses in mythology, ancient drama, and theater history. Currently, she is co-editor of the Thornton Wilder Journal, published by Penn State University Press, a new peer-reviewed journal which she helped to launch in 2020. She also has written numerous articles and book chapters on the staging of ancient comedy and the reception of Greek drama by contemporary American playwrights. Her next book, The Spirit of Aristophanes, a volume she is co-editing with Dustin Dixon of Grinnell College, will be published by Edinburgh University Press later this year.
Luna Stage is a professional regional theatre dedicated to developing and producing vibrant plays about local and global experiences. Firmly rooted in New Jersey's Valley Arts District – a crossroads of cultures – Luna brings its communities together for artistic events that spark conversations and create understanding and change.
Luna received the JerseyArts People's Choice Award for Favorite Small Theatre in New Jersey and has contributed to the development of over 100 new works for the stage, many of which premiered at Luna and have gone on to be produced in New York, regionally, and internationally.
As producer, innovator, and educator, Luna is dedicated to eliminating barriers to participation and allowing all community members to nurture their own creativity and vision. Luna offers classes for children and adults, as well as opportunities for early-career and established theatre artists to develop and incubate new work.
All programs at Luna are pay-what-you-choose to support equity and access to professional arts experiences in our region.
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