Luna Stage Premieres New Play Via Text Message: #RIFT By Gabriel Jason Dean

#RIFT by Gabriel Jason Dean launches this Friday, April 9 at Luna Stage. Part One of the play will be delivered to subscribers' phones over text message over the next eight weeks. Sign-ups will be accepted through April 23, but capacity is limited. Reservations are required, and are available at lunastage.org.

Through the lens of two real-life brothers-one a convicted murderer, the other a playwright; one a member of the alt-right, the other an A.O.C.-type progressive-#RIFT explores whether it is possible to bridge fundamental political and ideological divides. Playwright Gabriel Jason Dean navigates a deeply personal landscape: his brother is currently incarcerated, and the two had barely spoken in 10 years. In creating this piece, Dean reconnected with his brother to explore the roots of their differences, to see if there is any way to find common ground, and to try to understand what love means in this context.

"In these divided times, when truth has become commodified and weaponized, I think maybe it's the best thing I can do as a writer," says Dean. "Just tell the true story. And in doing that, I think people will see themselves and their own truths in the story of my estranged brother and me.

"Writing the truth is frankly terrifying, because it means I have to be honest with myself," he continues. "I have to be willing to listen for truth even if it's coming out of the mouth of someone with whom I fundamentally disagree. I have to be willing to call myself out when necessary too. Own my mistakes."

#RIFT is directed by Luna Stage Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith, with sound design by Megan Culley, dramaturgy by Natashia Lindsey, technical direction by Joey Yow, and project support by Natalie Tirendi.

This is the second collaboration between Dean and Kreith. Kreith previously directed Dean's Heartland, and the production was named one of NJ's Top 10 Productions of 2019 by The Star Ledger/NJ.com.

The second phase of #RIFT, launching later this spring, will encourage audience members to explore how they might reach across divides in their own lives and to share back these experiences via a virtual platform. Luna Stage and Dean hope to integrate audience reflections about rifts in their own lives into the design of the third chapter of this experience, a play that will be performed live and live-streamed at Luna in the fall.

"We believe that this deep and ongoing engagement with the creative process will allow audience and artists to become collaborative partners, grappling together with how we understand our past and imagine our future," says Kreith.

#RIFT deals with mature themes including violence, sexual abuse, and racism, and is intended for audiences 16+.

#RIFT is supported by a grant from the Venturous Theater Fund, and is presented as part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2021 Stages Festival, made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; the George A. Ohl, Jr. Trust; New Jersey Historical Commission; and Fund for the New Jersey Blind. www.njtheatrealliance.org/stages

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