(WEST ORANGE, NJ) -- Luna Stage will extend its critically-acclaimed production A Trojan Woman through March 31, 2024. Originally slated to close March 24, this National Premiere by by Maplewood resident Sara Farrington has played to sold-out houses and enthusiastic audience response.
Critics have praised “Drita Kabashi’s astounding performance” (NJ Arts Maven) and exclaimed “Words on paper cannot begin to describe the effect this play will have on those who see it!” (Out In Jersey.) Praised as a “tour-de-force” told with with “simplicity and imagination, ” this “impressive” solo performance puts “a modern spin on Euripides’ anti-war tragedy” (NJArts.)
Audience members have described the play as “stunning and heartstopping!” “The acting is stellar and the direction brilliant!” “A whirlwind of a play, theatrically heightened and utterly specific, confronts the human fallout of war. And war. And war. A tale told with brilliant irony.“
Farrington adapted Euripides’ classic tragedy into a searing contemporary solo performance. 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.”
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 association with TankNYC.
A Trojan Woman extends through March 31, with added performances on Friday March 29 at 8:00pm, Saturday March 30 at 8:00pm, and Sunday March 31 at 3:00pm. Additional tickets are available for Friday March 22 at 8:00pm, Saturday March 23 at 3:00pm & 8:00pm, and Sunday March 24 at 3:00pm. Tickets are $10-$40 at lunastage.org/trojanwoman. Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road in West Orange, New Jersey.
(l-r: playwright Sara Farrington, director Meghan Finn, performer Drita Kabashi)
Sara Farrington, playwright - NYC/NJ playwright of traditional & nontraditional plays, co-founder Foxy Films co. w/ Reid Farrington. MFA: Brooklyn College w/ Mac Wellman. Publications: The Lost Conversation: Interviews with an Enduring Avant Garde (53rd State Press/TCG), A Trojan Woman, Mickey & Sage (both @ Broadway Play Publishing). Plays: A TROJAN WOMAN (tour: Athens, Gr.), DORA MAAR (Mercury Store & Brick Aux), LUCKY BREAKS (Brick & New Ohio), CASABLANCABOX (HARP @ HERE, 2 x Drama Desk nom’d: Unique Theatrical Experience & Outstanding Projection), LEISURE, LABOR, LUST (The Tank & The Mount), BRANDOCAPOTE (Tank), THE RETURN (commissioned by/performed @ The Met Museum), HONDURAS (Phoenix Ensemble), NEAR VICKSBURG (Incubator Arts Project), MICKEY & SAGE (Incubator), THE RISE & FALL OF MILES & MILO (FringeNYC ‘07, winner: Outstanding Playwriting). Film: MENDACITY, dir: Reid Farrington, feat. Foxy Films (2023 NYC Indie Theater Film Festival). Residencies: Mercury Store, HARP @ HERE Arts, The Tank, Now-In-Process @ New Ohio, AFO Solo Collective. Sara’s an audiobook narrator, fiercely anti-fascist, an original founder of Immigrant Families Together, champion of #MeToo, Maplewood local & momma to Jack & Levi.
Meghan Finn, director - The Artistic Director of The Tank. Her directorial work has been seen at the Tank, 3LD Art & Technology Center, CSC, the V&A, Serpentine Galleries London, The Wexner Center, SCAD, The Logan Center for the Arts in Chicago, Museo Jumex Mexico City, Powerhouse Theater, The Power Plant, Canadian Stage, Clubbed Thumb, HERE, The Brick, The Bushwick Starr, Soho Gallery, PS122, Dixon Place, Soho Rep, Ars Nova, Montclair State, New Georges, The Flea, The Brooklyn Army Terminal for Creative Time, The Roes Theater Athens Greece, and the OnStage! Festival in Rome and Milan. BA Theater USC, MFA Directing Brooklyn College.
Drita Kabashi, performer (Irina) - Drita extends her heartfelt gratitude to Meghan Finn, Sara Farrington, and the entire Luna Stage team for this extraordinary experience. Recent theatre credits- Irina in A Trojan Woman (Interbalkan Festival of Ancient Drama, Greece/ Meghan Finn), Bethany in When We Went Electronic (OnStage Festival, Rome/ Meghan Finn), Rasputin in Red Emma & The Mad Monk (The Tank Theater/ NY Times Critic’s Pick/ Katie Lindsay), Bernadine Dohrn in Weatherman (La Jolla Playhouse/ Christopher Ashley), Nurse in Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Downtown/ Geoffrey Horne), Film- Ana in A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On (Albania’s Official Entry for the 2023 Academy Awards/ Gentian Koçi), Love in Fish Hook & Eye (Best in Show, Fusion Film Festival/ Chloe Aktas), Undergraduate Degree- New York University; Tisch School of the Arts, BFA, Graduate Degree- University of Illinois Chicago, MA, follow on Instagram @drita__kabashi
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.
Production photos by Stephanie Gamba
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