Time: 7:30 pm
LUNA STAGE WILL HOST MIDSUMMER BREAKOUT!, A FAMILY FUN EVENT TO BENEFIT LUNA STAGE’S 2012-13 SEASON.
Press contact: Sahoua Gboizo, 973.395.5551, sahoua.luna@gmail.com
West Orange, NJ: Luna Stage will hold a benefit event on July 14, 2012 at 7:30 pm, featuring the ensemble from their bilingual holiday show Mi Casa, Tu Casa that will have the whole family feeling the spirit of summer. Patrons of all ages are invited to come and take part in this multicultural, bilingual (English and Spanish) celebration of language, song, and family.
All contributions will be accepted in support of Luna’s 2012-13 season which will include Vita and Virginia by Eileen Atkins, Carnaval by Nikkole Salter, A Moon for the Misbegotten by Eugene O’Neill, and back by popular demand, Mi Casa, Tu Casa created by Michael Aquino, Deivis Garcia and Dania Ramos. Mi Casa premiered last season at Luna Stage to many accolades, prompting its return this year for an encore run that will open on November 30.
The Mi Casa, Tu Casa ensemble includes The Casa Band (Michael Aquino, Chris Blanco, Deivis Garcia, Jane Keitel, Cindi Merklee), and a pair of host storytellers (Ernio Hernandez and Paula Moscoso). The event on July 14th will be hosted by the two main storytellers and will feature songs from the show, as well as an exciting new folktale and other fun new tunes performed by The Casa Band. Audience participation is encouraged, making for a one-of-a-kind interactive experience.
Under the guidance of Luna Stage Artistic Director Jane Mandel, Mi Casa, Tu Casa was co-created specifically for Luna Stage as a holiday production by longtime Luna collaborators Michael Aquino and Deivis Garcia—both local musicians—and playwright Dania Ramos. The result was what the West Orange Patch called a “joyous, often hilarious, and sometimes poignant fiesta of a music-drenched show”, and “a colorfully wrapped gift filled with many wondrous surprises” (Carol Selman).
Michael Aquino is an actor, musician and singer-songwriter. He received a degree in theater from Montclair State University and has worked as an actor in regional theaters such as George Street Playhouse, The American Globe and Playwrights Theater of New Jersey. At Luna Stage, he was in the cast of the professional premiere of Sheldon Harnick’s musical Dragons, as well as Ghosts. In 2005 and 2006, he also served as the Summer Camp Director for Luna. In 2008, Michael created Indie Music Circus, a showcase for independent musicians in residence at Luna Stage. Michael has written over 50 original songs on guitar. He also created and facilitated 14 Songs in 14 Days, an intensive online songwriting workshop. 2010 saw the release of his band Sirs’ debut album, The Black Friday Sessions. He’s currently in pre-production for his debut solo album. For updates about Michael, visit something-artsy.com.
Deivis Garcia is a singer/songwriter, and collaborator, who specializes in a unique brand of music he calls “Spanglish Guajirobilly.” His sound, be it alternately in English or Spanish (or both), is an ambitious blend of the rural folkloric styles of Pan-Latin America – ranging from Mexico to Cuba to Puerto Rico to Colombia and Bolivia – along with his own original tunes as influenced by American Roots music, Southern Blues, Doo Wop music, Rockabilly and Outlaw Country music. Deivis has had cartoons published in Raygun Publishing’s Bikini Magazine and in the printed edition of Jersey Tomato Press, a short story published in Dirt Press: Volume One. His story “Word Is Bond” was shortlisted for the 2009 Raymond Carver Short Story Contest. He is also a muralist and painter, and co-founded the annual Boro 6 Indie Music fest in Montclair.
Dania Ramos’ writing has been featured in the Rose City Project: Literary Showcase at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Luna Stage’s On the Road educational theater series, and the Playwrights Summer Institute at New Jersey City University. She’s a current participant in the NJ Emerging Women Playwrights Project at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey. Dania is the creator of the Literary Lounge reading series, in residence at Luna Stage, which has featured over forty local and regional writers of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction. She received a 2003 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Playwriting Fellowship and a 2011 Norman Mailer Center Young Adult Fiction Workshop Scholarship. Dania is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators. She holds an MA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University and a BFA in Theatre Performance from Montclair State University.
Luna Stage welcomes corporate sponsorship for the 2012 performances of Mi Casa, Tu Casa. For information on Mi Casa, Tu Casa and all other events and programs at Luna Stage, visit the company website: www.lunastage.org. Luna Stage is located at 555 Valley Road, West Orange, NJ 07052. 973-395-5551. The theatre is handicapped accessible and assisted listening devices are available.
