“A powerful and timely tour de force!” — Voice of America

It happened in 1933 Berlin:

One spring afternoon, a 26 year-old woman going to lunch with her mother was arrested and detained by the German political police. They interrogated her for days over charges of treason, a crime punishable by death.

But Hannah Arendt would live—and become one of the most influential thinkers of our time, writing 30 books and even coining the term “totalitarianism.” How she befriended her arresting officer and survived is the subject of Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library by Jenny Lyn Bader.

This beautiful work offers a model for how we can speak to each other across impossible divides.

Luna Stage premiered it in a production directed by Ari Laura Kreith that sold out, extended, and promptly sold out again. We have now been invited to produce it in 2024 at an Off-Broadway theatre. But we can’t get there without you.

Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to make this happen.

Every dollar you give will support the New York premiere of a piece that confronts urgently important themes: the threat of totalitarianism; rising antisemitism, and the stark polarization of the body politic.

Now more than ever, we need this play.

Reviews:

"A powerful and timely tour de force!"
—Oleg Sulkin, Voice of America

“Gripping... A play for our times”
—Susan Wallner, Jersey Arts

“A riveting revelation of insight and courage”
—Ruth Ross, NJ Arts Maven

“Thoughtful and thought-provoking! Get tickets today and take your sharpest friends with you... I came away wanting to know more, and with the desire to engage someone very far on the other side of the ideological fence. The right time is now””
—Sherri Rase, Q Onstage

"In a moment of intense polarization in our own political discourse, the play is more than a history lesson and a drama;
it’s also a dissertation on how to speak to another person across a seemingly impassable gulf."
—Johanna R. Ginsberg, New Jersey Jewish News

”"brilliantly directed by Luna’s Artistic Director Ari Laura Kreith”
—Karen Lehrman Bloch, Jewish Journal

“This is a very worthy play and I won't be surprised if it makes the leap to New York City where it really does belong...”
—Peter Filichia, Broadway Radio

Audience Testimonials:

"Profound, Intelligent, Funny!" • "Superb! Don't miss it!" • “A masterful production!” •  "Extremely relevant... Edge-of-your-seat suspenseful... A tense chess game... A play about how we all become human to each other." • "Smart, witty writing, sensitive direction, committed acting all take us on a wildly unpredictable ride!"


Video Clips:

To donate by check, just make out your fully tax-deductible donation to Luna Stage;
put “59e59” in the memo line; and mail to:

Luna Stage
555 Valley Road
West Orange, NJ
Attn: Ari Laura Kreith

Or to support this production with an earmarked, fully tax-deductible donation via Luna’s secure online portal click here:

Critics: “A powerful and timely tour de force!” —Oleg Sulkin, Voice of America • “Gripping... A play for our times” —Susan Wallner, Jersey Arts • “Thoughtful and thought-provoking” —Sherri Rase, Q Onstage • “A riveting revelation of insight and courage”—Ruth Ross, NJ Arts Maven • “This is a very worthy play and I won't be surprised if it makes the leap to New York City where it really does belong...” —Peter Filichia, Broadway Radio • “In a moment of intense polarization in our own political discourse, the play is more than a history lesson and a drama; it’s also a dissertation on how to speak to another person across a seemingly impassable gulf.” —Johanna R. Ginsberg, New Jersey Jewish News • Audiences: “Superb! Don't miss it!” • “A masterful production!” • “Profound, Intelligent, Funny!” • “Consider: you find yourself in a jail cell. Life as you know it is shifting by the second. The questions keep coming—what is safe to say?” • “Extremely relevant... Edge-of-your-seat suspenseful... A tense chess game... About how we all become human to each other...” • “Smart, witty writing, sensitive direction, committed acting all take us on a wildly unpredictable ride!”

Critics: “A powerful and timely tour de force!” —Oleg Sulkin, Voice of America • “Gripping... A play for our times” —Susan Wallner, Jersey Arts • “Thoughtful and thought-provoking” —Sherri Rase, Q Onstage • “A riveting revelation of insight and courage”—Ruth Ross, NJ Arts Maven • “This is a very worthy play and I won't be surprised if it makes the leap to New York City where it really does belong...” —Peter Filichia, Broadway Radio • “In a moment of intense polarization in our own political discourse, the play is more than a history lesson and a drama; it’s also a dissertation on how to speak to another person across a seemingly impassable gulf.” —Johanna R. Ginsberg, New Jersey Jewish News • Audiences: “Superb! Don't miss it!” • “A masterful production!” • “Profound, Intelligent, Funny!” • “Consider: you find yourself in a jail cell. Life as you know it is shifting by the second. The questions keep coming—what is safe to say?” • “Extremely relevant... Edge-of-your-seat suspenseful... A tense chess game... About how we all become human to each other...” • “Smart, witty writing, sensitive direction, committed acting all take us on a wildly unpredictable ride!”